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Among the many pressing issues that President-elect Barack Obama will face when he takes office in January is climate change, which he has called an “immediate threat” and warned has made Earth a “planet in peril.” In an effort to prevent and reverse the problem, he supports a so-called cap-and-trade scheme similar to one now in effect in the U.S. Northeast and the European Union.

Under such a plan, the government sets an overall limit on the amount of pollution allowed and polluters, such as power companies, are sold or given permits to pollute. Those who emit less pollution thanks to a new wind farm, for example, can then sell their excess pollution permits to other companies struggling to meet their quotas. That ensures that the industry stays within the overall emission limit, which declines over time.

On the stump, Obama outlined such a system to cut U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2020 and to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050; the plan also included using monies raised by auctioning these so-called permits to pollute to fund renewable energy alternatives and other infrastructure upgrades.

In fact, renewable energy seems to be the linchpin of the Obama climate change plan: he has called for 10 percent of all U.S. electricity to come from renewable resources, such as the wind, sun and hot rocks (the U.S. derives 8 percent of its electricity needs from such resources presently, if hydroelectric dams are counted) by the end of his first term. All told, he has pledged $150 billion over 10 years as part of a renewable energy package (that also might double as a stimulus package).

According to the Obama plan, such an investment could create at least 5 million “green collar” jobs to replace industrial “blue collar” jobs lost in recent decades as steel mills and factories closed. In published interviews, he has referred to such a move as his “number one priority. ”

Obama has made clear, though, that he's not entirely opposed to the old way of doing things. He supports offshore oil exploration in areas where it is already allowed but that oil companies have yet to drill. He opposes  exploration in pristine areas such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

Obama has also  indicated that  he wants to help out coal producing regions in West Virginia, Wyoming and other states by speeding the development of carbon-capture-and-storage technology. Such “clean coal” technology works by first capturing the CO₂ from the coal and then storing it deep underground. The initial U.S. effort, dubbed FutureGen and planned to be built in Mattoon, Ill., the president-elect’s home state, was cancelled in February due to high cost.

Obama’s Illinois roots may also prompt  his continued support for corn-based ethanol, something he has called a good “transition technology” away from fossil fuels. Critics note, however, that it takes almost as much fossil fuel (in the form of fertilizers and tractors) to grow the corn for ethanol as the fuel yields—and threatens to pit gas tanks of the haves against the stomachs of the have nots. Some of his campaign indicate that he's also likely to raise federal fuel efficiency requirements and to push American automakers to re-tool to make plug-in electric-gas hybrids and other alternative fuel vehicles.

Of course, climate change and renewable energy aren’t the only environmental issues the new administration must tackle. There’s also the matter of dwindling numbers of mammals, amphibians and a whole host of other animals worldwide. There’s global deforestation. And there’s the  matter of environmental justice: placing toxic waste dumps and other hazardous operations in areas where people are too economically disadvantaged to resist or don't because they hold the promise of much-needed jobs. Poorer communities pay a disproportionate price for environmental catastrophes, whether the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina or the burden of living atop polluted land from the Alaskan Arctic to Alabama. How an Obama administration will address such issues remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, the Bush administration still has a few months to push through its own environmental agenda, including weakening the Endangered Species Act and allowing more pollution from power plants. And Obama can count on opposition as he tries to move forward with any energy or climate regulations from conservative Republicans, including the likes of Sen. James Inhofe, who won re-election in Oklahoma and has called climate change the “greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.”

Obama has pledged  to make energy transformation a top priority and will likely re-engage the U.S. in international negotiations to combat climate change. He’ll be starting out in the climate change hole (thanks to all the CO₂ spewed as part of his campaigning) but even engaging the issue would be a big change from the past eight years.

9 Comments

1. 1. ductileironman 03:54 PM 11/5/08

   Ah yes, Cap and Trade... another way to cause inflation in the name of the environment.

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2. 2. Tan Boon Tee 10:33 PM 11/5/08

   Do not have too high or over ambitious expectation, lest one gets more disappointed eventually.
   
   Men are quaint animals. When one is up, one is praised sky-high, showered with credits one never deserves. When one is down, one would be frowned upon, blamed on things one even had not done.
   
   Lots of people have little sense of individual judgment. The herd psychology works beautifully in the recent presidential election, unsurpassed and practically unprecedented.
   
   But when it comes to reality and euphoria gradually fades away, scenario will change. Has one not noticed that the Dow quickly dipped by more than 400 points the very first day after the election? Where will the new administration get the money to fulfill all the promises?
   
   And then history will happily repeat itself.
   (Tan Boon Tee)
   

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3. 3. bwglickman 03:04 PM 11/8/08

   President Elect Obama brings hope on the energy and global warming front with his support for alternative and renewable energy sources. However, support for carbon capture and sequestering is an expensive fairy tale intended to divert our worries until something better comes along. My belief is that we should be converting to a hydrogen based energy currency. Hydrogen can drive cars and fly airplanes with only a little technological investment. Hydrogen is plentiful and the product, water, is better for the environment. Hydrogen can be produced by any source of electricity and is much more efficient than working through batteries. I urge Obama to include hydrogen in his thinking for the new age.

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4. 4. bwglickman 03:05 PM 11/8/08

   President Elect Obama brings hope on the energy and global warming front with his support for alternative and renewable energy sources. However, support for carbon capture and sequestering is an expensive fairy tale intended to divert our worries until something better comes along. My belief is that we should be converting to a hydrogen based energy currency. Hydrogen can drive cars and fly airplanes with only a little technological investment. Hydrogen is plentiful and the product, water, is better for the environment. Hydrogen can be produced by any source of electricity and is much more efficient than working through batteries. I urge Obama to include hydrogen in his thinking for the new age

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5. 5. DC Palmer 07:12 PM 11/10/08

   I too am skeptical of cap and trade schemes. It seeems readymade for scamming.
   I do hpe that teh new President can follow through on a large and sustained commitment to basic research, a national electricity infrastructure, and some elements of the Pickens' Plan.
   Natural gas refueling at a few hundred selected Interstate truck stops seems like a great idea to me. It strikes me as some low hanging fruit when it comes to reducing green house gasses and oil imports. Interstate trucking uses a lot of fuel a fairly small number of vehicles. Converting 100,000 heavily used interstate trucks would converting several million cars. Check out www.pickensplan.org

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6. 6. KR @ Bettertheworld.com 11:55 AM 11/11/08

   Great article covering both sides of the issues well. Keep it up! I believe Obama brings optimism in making change with respect to a sustainable future. If he accomplishes most of what he has set out to do that would be better then what the past administration has done.

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7. 7. mjgila1c 10:45 PM 11/15/08

   This Green Initiative Barack Obama is working towards is what this country needs. With over 70 % of our oil being imported and the billions of dollars being spent on it each year, it is obvious we have to do something now before we loss our standing in the world.
   If we have to make a change, which we do, why not make the change to green energy? It's sustainable, cheaper in the long run and it guarantees good paying jobs for millions in this country that can't be outsourced. The writing is on the wall, we have to act now and we need leadership. Obama understands that and is willing to lead us.
   
   Pickens Plan supporter

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8. 8. Rob 05:34 PM 12/1/08

   The last sentence pretty much says it all. Anything's an improvement at this point. Does that mean we should expect less? No, but it may mean things won't move as fast as we'd like. Here's a summary of the expected environmental impact of Obama's proposed policies:
   http://www.greenexchange.com/read.php?id=25
   
   Overall, I'd say that's a positive change. The argument of whether carbon caps and trades actually improve our situation has merit, but I guess my question is: is it making things worse? If it is, then yes, we should scrap it, but even if it's only holding the line, that's a vast improvement over the past 8 years, and it's a start.

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9. 9. greenergood 11:20 AM 12/16/08

   It is likely that greenhouse gas-climate change legislation will be introduced in the near term. A renewable energy initiative will be central to reduce human impact on global warming. The president elect has stated goals of reductions of 25% by 2025 and 10% reduction in the near term.
   
   Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) are state policies requiring an individual state to generate a percent of its electricity from renewable sources. Each state has a choice of how to fulfill this mandate using a combination of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, biomass, geothermal or other renewable sources. Some RPS specify the technology combination, whereas others permit the market to drive the choices. This is preferable because each state has different renewable resources. For instance, Arizona has substantial solar resources compared to many other states and North Dakota has greater wind resources than many other states.
   You will find an excellent discussion of global warming and the policies of President-elect Obama at http://www.onebiosphere.com
   
   Several wind turbine companies have sought a federal renewable portfolio standard. These wind turbine manufacturers and solar firms will benefit substantially under a renewable portfolio standard.
   
   Democratic leaders have stated that incentives to the renewable industry will generate substantial business and employment to help the U.S. recover from its current economic crisis. In the long term, the federal government will spend federal money to pay for carbon capture and sequestration technology.
   
   

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