The Presidents Climate Action Plan Essay

In 2013, the Obama Administration issued the Climate Action Plan to focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 17 % reduction below 2005 levels by 2020. This plan’s three objectives were carbon reduction, strengthening capacity for climate change response, and leading international cooperation for climate change crisis (White House, 2013). To reduce the

Since the beginning of International Relations and foreign policy, especially in the United States, environmental issues have not been its top priority. this problem has gained much momentum sense the environmental movements of the sixties and the passing of landmark pieces of policy. From domestic policy decisions of the Clean Air and Water Acts to the international ban on CFC’s, environmental policy has showed a degree of promise and precedence. Many critics of past and current mitigation efforts have pointed out that our current efforts are much too slow and International Protocols and not lived up to their projections. In order for climate policy to be successful it must appertain to three distinct criteria; It must be adopted broadly, have the ability to stay in place indefinitely, and it needs to have incentives to reduce emissions that make it beneficial for firms and the public sector to invest (McKibbin 2006, 9). According to some it will be motivation, not feasibility as to the deciding factor of whether or not we are successful in mitigating and adapting to climate change (Jamieson 2013, 466).

As of recently, the Paris Climate Talks gathered several of world’s leading nations to discuss the effects and measures needed to be taken to combat the on going threat of

One of the most unique aspects of climate change is its ability to impact every person in every nation across the world. Its omnipotent presence calls for, what I predict will be, the largest global initiative and

Carbon Dioxide emissions in the United States have decreased by 12% since 2005 according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (Lindstrom, 2016). Almost 70% of

(Scientists say we must stay below a two-degree increase to avoid catastrophic climate impacts.) To help make the deal happen, the Obama administration pledged $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund, an international organization dedicated to helping poor countries adopt cleaner energy technologies. Under the terms of the Paris agreement, participating nations will meet every five years, starting in 2020, to revise their plans for cutting CO2 emissions. Beginning in 2023, they will also have to publicly report their progress (© Natural Resources Defense Council 2017).

Since the first industrial revolution, in 1840, we have seen major changes to modern technology, and our way of life has been changed completely. With inventions like the cotton mill, the lightbulb, the car, and so many others, we can be more efficient, and provide new and improved services for ourselves, but there is a negative side to all this development. Many of the systems we have discovered are destroying the planet, and as we continue to ignore this obvious deterioration, it gets exponentially worse. As one of the most powerful and influential countries in the world, the United States has the ability to change this trend of destruction. Individuals can rally and recycle, but we need more power behind the cause, and the President can do that. The United States Constitution gives the President the ability to suggest and pass laws, with the help of the other branches; and it is time that they take a stand, and provide legislation that will lead the country to heal the Earth. The President of the United States has the Constitutional power-- and therefore the obligation-- to promote awareness of climate change and introduce legislation to help protect our planet.

We have all heard statistics over how unmitigated global warming can lead to rising sea levels, increased temperatures, lower rates of precipitation. The Congressional Budget Office recently found that climate change, if unmitigated, would create costly damage not only to the United States’s economy, but also to the world as a whole (source). Despite a scientific and general consensus that climate change is real and a problem, actual committed action against climate change has been disappointingly slow, until recently. We also know the cause of climate change. The United States EPA finds that “Carbon dioxide accounts for most of the nation’s emissions and most of the increase since 1990” (EPA). What we don’t know is a solution.

Last month, the United States of America and fellow global powerhouse China reached a deal to incorporate more non-fossil fuel energy into their total energy consumption. Through this deal, greenhouse gas production will be cut by up to 26 percent in America, lowering our levels to somewhere around 28 percent of the levels experienced in 2005 (Samuelson). This plan has been hailed as a great first step, and it is likely that smaller countries will make similar emissions cuts. That being said, China and America currently combine for 42 percent of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide according to the International Energy Agency. The world still heavily relies on fossil fuels for about 80 percent of its energy. In order to solve this problem of moving to renewable resources without causing a global economic collapse, countries need to be prepared to make budget cuts in other areas. Weak agreements have been enacted with dates a few years down the road to change this degenerative process. However, with loose restrictions on the way each country will achieve this goal, the discussions feels, according to Climate Research Program Leader Myles R. Allen, like a lost cause. It simply is not enough. The United States of America should be taking stronger initiatives and setting the standards for the transition towards a greener tomorrow. These initiatives would benefit both the Earth and its inhabitants. To do this, the government should take this more active role, through

Global warming, the cause of our ice caps melting and the sea levels rising. The G7 nations have come together to put a stop to these environmental issues by introducing a plan to stop the earth’s temperature rising by 2c. Decarbonising the world’s economy is the only way to stop an increase in the earth’s temperature and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Climate works Australia and the Australian national university are leading the journey to a decarbonised Australia by 2050, with no major

As more natural resources are being used, the earth takes longer to rejuvenate itself. Friedman indicates, “The world also has a problem; It is getting hot, flat, and crowded” (Source C). A world that is becoming hotter, flatter, and more crowded is hardly a description of a healthy, comfortable environment for future generations. A national and international movement towards a greener future would bring people together and provide a powerful basis for offsetting a hotter, flatter, and more crowded world. Friedman confirms, “America is always at its most powerful and most influential when it is combing innovation and inspiration, wealth-building and dignity-building, the quest for big profits and the tackling of big problems” (Source C). Americans as a people must all work together to create a greener future for the generations to come. The earth’s climate and it’s environment is becoming worse, and without the participation of the American people, these two issues will only increase in

The climate change impacts of greenhouse gases threaten the economic development and environmental quality. These threats indicate that all nations regardless their economic growth should work collaboratively to reduce the emission to a certain level. Hare et al. (2011) argued that “climate change is a collective action problem” thus requires a global coordination from all countries. This indicates that actions from several countries would never be sufficient to address the climate change problem. If a global target to limit warming to 2°C or below is about to achieve (UNFCCC 2010, p.4) a broad range of participation is required (Hare et al., 2011). However, the increasing complexity of negotiation processes is inevitable. Each country will pursue its own interests during the

Al Gore famously stated on the threat of climate change “The good news is, we have everything we need now to respond to the challenge of global warming. . . . But we should not wait, we cannot wait, we must not wait.” In the early 2000s, the international community was uncertain on how best to address climate change and ensure the world’s increasing development was sustainable. In 2008, the World Bank launched the “Strategic Framework for Development and Climate change” to jump-start public and private sector action against climate change. Included in these proposals was the issuance of “Green Bonds”, an innovative method of encouraging investment in environmental and sustainable development projects across the globe. Green bonds have

Undesired climatic change necessitates the need to look for solutions to curb the trend through planetary-scale interventions. However, the major challenge is the lack of integrated, top-down bargaining strategies. To deal with this challenge, the U.S. has resulted to the use of new bottom-up methods such as building blocks and climate clubs to coordinate national climate change policies (Victor & Sabel, 2015). The bottom-up approach has great uncertainty because of the feasibility and cost of implementation of various projects. However, the approach can work smoothly with the support of various institutions that promote joint

On December 12 of 2015, 195 countries made history by committing to the first truly global international climate change agreement (Paris Agreement, 2015). This agreement took place in Paris and was adopted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The outcome of the Paris Conference on Climate Change was described as “revolutionary” (Venezuela) “marvelous act” (China) and as “a tremendous collective achievement” (European Union) that introduced a “new era of global climate governance” (Egypt) while “restoring the global community’s faith of accomplishing things multilaterally” (USA) (Paris Agreement, 2015).