On Monday, President Barack Obama did just that. In a new, major policy decision, Obama will bypass Congress with a plan forcing power plants to cut their emissions by 30% (from 2005 levels) over 15 years. Coal produced an estimated 74% of total CO2 emissions in the U.S. in 2012, compared to other forms of electricity generation like natural gas and petroleum. The plan represents one of the biggest actions taken by the U.S. government — and the biggest taken by any U.S. president — to slow climate change. In two lines, heres what you need to know: Nationwide, by 2030, this rule would achieve CO2 emission reductions from the power sector of approximately 30% from CO2 emission levels in 2005, the proposed regulation says. This new Obama Doctrine on climate change will, in essence, promote other forms of energy, including wind, solar and nuclear; it will also provide bargaining leverage in international talks when the U.S. asks other nations to curb their emissions ( China ). Why is this important? Because this is happening: Image Credit: NASA According to two new studies, the collapse of much of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet may now be irreversible. A joint study by NASA and the University of California, Irvine revealed that losing these large chunks of the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet foreshadows a likely catastrophic 10-foot rise in global sea levels over the next few centuries. Progressive news outlet MotherJones called it a holy shit moment in climate change.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 00:22:40 +0000
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