Comments due by April 5, 2015
U.S. President Barack Obama will sign an executive order on Thursday March 19, 2015 that sets a goal for the U.S. government to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2025, the White House said.
Although the federal government accounts for only 0.7 percent of net U.S. emissions, it is the single largest energy consumer in the United States, according to the White House.
Meeting the goal would cut 21 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from 2008 levels, it said.
Several large private-sector partners, including IBM, General Electric and Honeywell, also committed to cutting a combined 5 million metric tons.
Obama has made fighting climate change a top priority in his final two years in office. The White House sees it as critical to his legacy.
In November, Obama reached an agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping that set a goal of reducing overall U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. China agreed to begin lowering its carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, with the intention of trying to do so earlier.
White House senior adviser Brian Deese said the federal government's share of greenhouse gas emissions in the overall U.S. economy is "modest," but said the announcement is significant.
"The potential from this announcement, however, is significant both because we can drive substantial reductions across the entire federal footprint and because our efforts to do that leverage both innovation and investment in the private sector," Deese said on a call with reporters.
The Environmental Protection Agency last year offered a Clean Power Plan that set deadlines for states to submit proposals to meet power plant carbon emission reduction goals.
A dozen states, including Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana and Wyoming, sued the EPA last August, soon after the plan was unveiled, saying its use of a certain section of the Clean Air Act was illegal. The federal D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear the case on April 16.
Obama's budget proposal for fiscal 2015, released last month, called for a 7 percent boost in funding for clean energy and a $4 billion fund to encourage U.S. states to make faster and deeper cuts to emissions from power plants. It also called for the permanent extension of tax credits used by the wind and solar power industries. (Reuters)
The EPA has been on every company, firm, and businesses back about cutting down on greenhouse gases since the agency was formed in 1970, and now we begin to see a positive difference thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency and many other Environmental law firms such as the NRDC. The EPA is constantly keeping companies and the government in-line of environmental law, so that they don’t do something that will continuously, purposefully and permanently damage our earth.
ReplyDeleteGovernments all over the world are aware of the damage they can do, but its very few that really try to avoid environmental harm and fix it before its too late, and to hear that the U.S Government, China, Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Spain and many others have positively contributed in efforts to help the environment is a great step forward. The 2014 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranks the United States at 33 with a score of 67.52 that is a huge improvement and will only get better. The EPI ranks Switzerland on top of the list with a score of 87.67.
I have hope that the U.S will meet its emissions cuts sooner than 2025, as we can see the damage we have already caused.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIts impressive the damage countries all around the world have already cause to our earth, and as we know, they are much countries the ones making huge efforts to help in the progress of environmental help. The EPA ( Environmental Protection Agency ) had make great efforts to control all companies with their effects towards the environment, and now we see how every day is at least getting some of what better.
ReplyDeleteIts amazing to hear what the President of the United States is trying to reach with this executive order in future to sign, that will make the US to cut their greenhouse gas emissions lower than before. We are all hoping that this order will continue to make amazing progress for fighting the greenhouse emissions, and to be something constant and a great example so more countries join.
I am glad the government is putting some effort in saving the environment. It is frightening to know that the federal government is the single largest energy consumer in the United States, even though it accounts for only 0.7 percent of net U.S. emissions. It is good knowing that other countries are also putting in effort to making the earth better, such as China agreeing to lower its carbon dioxide emissions. Hopefully the announcement that President Obama and the Chinese President Xi Jinping would be able to drive reductions across the entire federal footprint by leveraging innovation and investment in the private sector.
ReplyDeletePresident Obama is very forward thinking in terms of his opinion and action on climate change. The actions he does within his powers as President are extremely important, even with lots of opposition from States and opponents in Congress. I think the most important actions are not the reduction of the actual footprint of the federal government, but the increase in funding towards green energy research and the private sector growth that can follow. This is where the real change will come from, and I like the idea that government will spark this revolution rather then leading it. In our country, this is the power that the people give to our government, and in my opinion, President Obama is doing a great job in his leverage of this power.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteIPCC mentions that due to greenhouse gas, the global climate is changing, the western mountainous areas of North America will reduce the mass of lying snow. Streamflow will decrease in summer and floods will increase in winter, which leads to competition for the excessive allocation of water resources. Rising sea levels will damage Florida, Louisiana and other low-lying areas, threat to people’s life. The reduction in woods areas will endanger southeast of U.S, the Rocky Mountains and other areas. Cities will suffer much more heat wave in summer. People live on the coast of North America will be under pressure. That is economic development and the effects of climate change. The U.S. government set a goal, to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2025, Obama's budget proposal for fiscal 2015, it called for clean energy, cutting emissions from power plants, and called for the permanent extension of tax credits used by the wind and solar power industries.
Obama reached an agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and China agreed to begin lowering its carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. China is a developing country, the level of economy and technology is not high, carbon dioxide emissions in per unit of GDP and unit of product are relatively high, it's reducing greenhouse gas emissions are potential. Through international cooperation, gain capital and technical support from international community, which helps to improve China's capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. So the cooperation between countries is necessary, it is good for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.
It's excellent to see that the government is signing executive orders to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. This is a signal that the President is taking this seriously and using his power at POTUS to make a real change in the upcoming years and decades.
ReplyDeleteCommitments by several large private-sector companies such as IBM and GE committing to cutting a combined 5 million metric tons is a huge step forward to our planet becoming much cleaner, which it needs to do to survive in the long haul.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe article, “Green Economy” is a simple illustration of how new governmental policies and regulatory intervention can have a tremendous impact in achieving a green economy for the future generations (and our present as well). I am quite impressed by President Obama’s priority to fighting climate change. Endeavoring a reduction in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions is a difficult task to undertake as the patterns of usage vary widely, not only across the U.S., but also in other nations such as Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. However, in an effort to reach a green economy one must start somewhere and it must begin at home and with government. In our case, the first and wisest step begins with our Federal Government, the largest consumer of energy usage. Of course, the problem that we face (as other nations too) is the costly process to develop an energy efficient society because industries, developers and commercial agents are reluctant to change, especially if it’s associated with expensive transformation. One perfect example is putting into practice the construction of low-energy building design plans. The construction of new buildings can be developed by the usage of sustainable building materials, energy efficient appliances, and solar energy panels/systems. Policy makers need to control and monitor developers and can do so by issuing building codes, appliance standards, energy efficient obligations, mandatory certification and labeling, and utility demand programs. These control mechanisms, not only will enforce regulations amongst industries and developers, but also create jobs on the monitoring level and real estate development sectors. If the U.S. can achieve a reduction in greenhouse emissions, we can become a prime example to other nations wishing to obtain a sustainable green economy.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the last blog post, I was completely frightened how our world, and human species will end up. At this rate we will not be here for long. Serious action needs to take place in the world, but especially the United States. The energy in quad is 10-15 ptu, U.S. consumes over 100 quads, and the rest of the world uses 500 quads. With that being said the U.S. consumes 20 percent of the world’s energy. We are very dependent on oil, drilling 2-4 miles towards the core of earth. As oil decreases we will be finding other alternatives such as non-conventional, coal and nuclear energy. I would favor nuclear energy because it is safe to an extent, with accidents being rare. I would be against using coal for energy because it contributes to the deaths of 14,000 Americans each year, states Time magazine.
ReplyDeleteIt is good to know that Obama and the White House are taking steps to improve greenhouse emission, considering that we use 20 percent of the world energy. This is a serious matter that should not be taken lightly. By large private sectors committing to cutting down to 5 million as a whole is an astonishing step to overcome this problem.
President Obama has signed an executive order in March to address climate change. This order sets a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2025. The U.S. government is the largest energy consumer in the U.S.. Obama has even met with the Chinese president, who also agreed to lower carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. But that's not all, even companies such as IBM, Honeywell, and GE has agreed to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. I am happy that president Obama is including regulations for climate changes apart of his legacy before his time in office is done. If government officials do not understand the importance of changing the way we use greenhouse gasses and saving energy and natural resources that we have, it will be very hard to get things done and ultimately save the planet.
ReplyDeleteThe United States and China are the world’s two largest greenhouse gas polluters. Both President Obama and President Xi Jimping are trying to now cut their emissions immediately, with the United States cutting their emissions by 26 to 28 percent by 2025, and China believing their emissions will drop by 2030. The new blueprints that Obama has in place brings together several domestic initiatives that were already in the works, such as including freezing construction of new coal-fired power plants, increasing the fuel economy of vehicles and plugging methane leaks from oil and gas production. It is meant to describe how the United States will lead by example and meet its pledge for cutting emissions.
ReplyDeleteThe plan has also intensified opposition from Republican lawmakers who object to Mr. Obama’s effort to build a climate change legacy. Republicans have called the rules a “war on coal” and an abuse of executive authority. Nearly every potential Republican presidential candidate has criticized Mr. Obama’s climate change agenda. Republican leaders immediately savaged the plan and announced their intent to weaken or undo it and, by extension, to block the international efforts to reach a climate accord in Paris. Environmental groups praised the plan, particularly the president’s effort to work around Congress.
I think that there shouldn’t be any internal issues within our government when it comes to Obama’s climate changes. In the end if both parties cared about the country and the world in its entirety, then they would realize that cutting greenhouse emission is vital to our survival. This plan needs to go out to Paris in time so changes can be made immediately.
It is very important to acknowledge that the US government is making a positive step in cutting greenhouse emission. Although this will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by the year 2025. This is a huge stride towards a greener economy. Other large private sector companies will be making the effort to cut a combined 5 million metric tons. Obama is working hard to make sure that his legacy left in office is a top priority to the environment.
ReplyDeletePresident Obama proved this by coming to an agreement with Xi Jinping, the Chinese President, which set a goal of reducing overall US greenhouse gas emissions by 26%-28% by 2025. Obama is also raising their funding for environmentally friendly projects and acts. It only takes one country to start lowering their greenhouse gas emissions for other countries to get on board. Just slightly lowering greenhouse gas emissions can make a huge impact on the environment.
This is a very good news to see that the US government is finally making efforts to reduce the carbon emissions of the USA. This is a very good sign for the rest of the world because the US should be an example for other countries . Symbolically speaking, it is also a huge step forward for a country that has never made any effort to reduce pollution. But Obama does not take much risk. I would have wanted to see the president signing the Kyoto Protocol. He would then, send a strong message to the rest of the world especially China, one of the biggest carbon producer in the world . There is no other choice for the US to sign the Kyoto Protocol if we want to save the planet . Our policies are still missing of courage about the global warming issue.
ReplyDeleteMaxime Merian
Government intervention through the effort of an executive order is a step in the right direction in order to decrease the amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. Through the reading it is clear that excessive damage has been done, especially on the part of the Federal Government, to the earth through gas emissions. The IPCC suggests that this climate change is an issue that must be brought to the forefront of importance in order to protect future generations. The new developments in areas such as China will improve our climate and will also drive innovation in the private sector, encouraging investments. According to the EPI, the U.S. is already on its way to a greener economy.
ReplyDeleteDuring Obamas terms as president, he has always been trying to install long term plans to benefit the future of the United States. Reducing carbon emissions is another step in his long-term plan. Reducing the amount of emissions by 40% in 10 years is a significant thing, and the government should be praised for doing this. Being that 21 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions would be cut, is clearly a step in the right direction. Since China and America are both concentrated on this issue at hand, it would be beneficial to our earth that they work on decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.
ReplyDeleteBeing that we are students, eventually we will grow up and have families that would have to sufferer the consequences of large amounts of greenhouse emissions polluting our environment. Obama making climate changes a priority is an essential goal he will be remembered for. Bring that this is not something only one president can solve, hopefully we see future presidents follow in the footsteps that Obama paved in his long term plan to benefit the United States of America.
President Obama’s executive order to cut greenhouse emissions by 40% is great because it shows that we are making an extreme effort to help reduce human impact on the environment. Major private sectors companies are also contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The federal government has already cut its overall emissions by 17% since Barack Obama took office by, saving the government around 1.8 billion dollars; with this executive order it is estimated to save the government around 18 billion over the next 10 years. With this plan, renewable energy use will increase in order to meet the 40% reduction goals in the next decade. It is even better that Obama reached an agreement with the Chinese president to reduce overall U.S. greenhouse emission by 26 to 28% below 2005 levels by 2025. China has also agreed to lower their own emissions, which means two powerhouses are leading the global emissions reduction campaign. This is a big step towards sustainable energy and sustainable green economy.
ReplyDeleteThe U.S currently uses 5,425 metric tons or %7.0 of the words gas emissions, China uses 7,711 metric tons or %13.3 of the worlds gas emissions. With this being said it seems unfair that china has agreed to cut emissions by 2030. If the numbers speak for themselves china should be cutting gas emissions as soon as possible before their population keeps growing and their economy keeps booming causing more CO2 emissions into the environment. On the back side of this is president Obama and his urgency to tackle gas emissions world wide, he understands that this may not be a problem now but it will become one later taking in the philosophy of if you see something is wrong you "nip it in the butt" and that is exactly what Obama is doing, I do however believe that china needs to put this under their urgent matter. one with the control of population size and secondly a control on gas emissions.
ReplyDeleteBy: Yeison Gomezzarzuela
By:Yeison Gomezzarzuela