President Obama Pledges to Help Communities Prepare for Climate Change, Reduce U.S. Emissions
UCS responds to President Obama's speech on climate change
President Obama outlined his administration’s plans to address climate change in a speech on June 25, 2013 at Georgetown University.
In the speech, Obama outlined a series of actions that would enable the U.S. to meet its announced goal of reducing heat-trapping emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, and steps that will better help communities prepare for the growing impacts of climate change.
Proposed actions include the development and finalization of EPA standards that set limits on carbon emissions for both new and existing power plants, improved energy efficiency standards for buildings and appliances, and increased deployment of renewable energy.
For more on Obama's climate action plan, as well as resources relevant to elements of his speech, please see below.
UCS Responds to Obama's Speech
- Statement from Alden Meyer, UCS strategy and policy director (June 25, 2013)
- Statement from Angela Anderson, Director, UCS Climate and Energy Program (June 25, 2013)
From the UCS Blog
- The President Touts Natural Gas as an Important Climate Solution: How Far Can it Take Us? (July 1, 2013)
- How Might History Judge President Obama's Climate Plan? (June 27, 2013)
- President Takes Historic First Step on Climate Action: Near-term Target for CO2 Reductions (June 26, 2013)
- What We Know: Renewable Energy Can Deliver for the President’s Carbon Reduction Plan (June 26, 2013)
- Let's Live Long and Prosper: President Obama's Call to Combat Climate Change (June 25, 2013)
- Obama Directs the EPA to “Work Expeditiously” to Complete Standards for New and Existing Power Plants: Now the Details on how the EPA Can Deliver the Goods (June 25, 2013)
- Critical Decade for Climate Action – New Report Echoes Many Others: We Must Decarbonize to Stabilize Climate (June 17, 2013)
- We Need a Clear Signal that the Obama Administration Will Issue Power Plant Carbon Standards Soon (June 17, 2013)
- New IEA Report Shows (Yet Again!) that We Have the Tools to Cut Global Warming Emissions; Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency are Critical (June 10, 2013)
From the White House: The President's Climate Action Plan
- Infographic: President Obama's Plan to Fight Climate Change
- The President's Climate Action Plan (PDF)
- Fact Sheet: President Obama's Plans to Cut Carbon Pollution (PDF)
- State-by-State Reports on the Impacts of Extreme Weather and Carbon Pollution
- Memorandum to the Administrator of the EPA — Power Sector Carbon Pollution Standards (PDF)
UCS Resources and Links
Ramping Up Renewable Energy
Ramping Up Renewables: Energy You Can Count On
The United States can significantly increase renewable energy while maintaining a reliable, affordable, and cleaner energy system.
Reducing Coal Use
Ripe for Retirement: The Case for Closing America's Costliest Coal Plants
As many as 353 coal-fired power generators in 31 states — representing up to 59 GW of power capacity — are no longer economically viable compared with cleaner, more affordable energy sources.
Reducing Oil Use
Half the Oil: A Realistic Plan to Cut Projected U.S. Oil Use in Half in 20 Years
We have the practical solutions at hand to protect consumers, the climate, and our environment from the growing costs of our oil use.
The Many Benefits of Half the Oil
We can cut projected U.S. oil use in half over the next 20 years and create more than 1 million jobs, reduce annual oil spending by $550 billion, and eliminate 2 billion metric tons of global warming emissions per year by 2035.
Protecting Our Health and Environment
Steps the EPA Must Take to Reduce Global Warming Emissions
The president is ensuring that the EPA fulfills its legal obligation to protect our health and environment from the consequences of a warming world by reducing carbon pollution under the Clean Air Act.
