Obama vows action on climate change
In his State of the Union Address earlier this week, President Barack Obama vowed to take action to fight climate change by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Obama pointed toward recent extreme weather events such as the extended drought being experienced in the Midwest, the wildfires raging through the Southeast, and the recent hurricane that devastated the Northeast as evidence that global warming is taking a toll.
The President urged Congress to come up with a comprehensive plan to reduce GHG emissions, however the Republican controlled House of Representatives is unlikely to actively pursue that agenda. Obama warned that should Congress fail to act, he would direct his Cabinet to explore executive actions instead.
President Obama could use executive authority to require the US military, the largest fuel purchaser in the world, to shift towards cleaner burning alternatives.
He also will push for additional funding for solar and wind energy technologies, since renewable electricity will be a powerful tool to combat climate change.
(2/13/13)