Government+Action

**What is the Government doing to STOP Global Warming? CF **  United States has faced widespread criticism for its stance on global climate change and experts are divided on the severity of the problem and on the policy responses required.

rss url="http://www.whitehouse.gov/feed/blog" link="true" number="3" date="true" author="true"

A great blog about government activity regarding the energy and the enviornment. Just go to "filter by category" and click on "Energy and the Enviornment." Interesting information about new legislation being passed written by White House government officials like Nancy Sutley (chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality) and Heather Zichal (Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change). It includes information about important current events like progress on green jobs from the Recovery Act.

[] In December 2009 world leaders met in Copenhagen Denmark to reach a climate change deal. More than 85 world leaders such as President Obama, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and many others participated. The hope at Copenhagen was to produce a politically binding deal that will produce an outline for a more formal agreement to be considered late next year. The article includes more in depth information about the summit and the national perspectives of the countries that attended.

Lately, it seems like society has been obsessed with the concept of “going green” in order to help the environment. However, individuals can only do so much when it comes to the environment. The government needs to play an active role and pass environmental legislation in order to effectively solve the global warming crisis. Local, national and international leaders need to work together to enact plans that lower green house gas emissions. Hopefully, Obama’s environmental policies will help lead the way to solving the unprecedented environmental crisis.

The Obama administrations economic stimulus claims to the address the environmental crisis. The economic stimulus includes environmental investment, “green-collar” jobs and funding for environmental programs and research. More specifically, the stimulus provides $79 billion dollars in funding for clean energy projects, energy efficiency initiatives and green transportation. However, the stimulus is mainly focusing on the economy not the environment. For instance, a staggering total of $280 billion of the stimulus is administered towards tax cuts. In addition, the economic crisis has only enhanced the country’s environmental problems. Renewable energy developers are experiencing difficulty finding capital. For example, only four out of eighteen banks that originally helped finance the installation of wind turbines and solar arrays are continuing to do so.

Critics argue that Obama’s measures do not adequately address the devastating effects of climate change. Some contend that a massive public works program in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and mass transit would have been more effective than Obama’s stimulus bill. This type of public works project would have created millions of jobs in “green” areas of the economy. However, this type of program would call for an attack on influential corporate interests. Although the Obama administration is willing to make positive environmental changes they will not risk their relationships with major corporations in order to do so.

Carolyn McGrath an art teacher and recycling club advisor does not feel like Obama is giving environmental issues the attention it deserves. “I do not think Obama has an effective green plan. He talks about problems with global warming but does not take any action,” said McGrath. McGrath like others believes that the current economic crisis has decreased the amount of government attention on global warming and the environment. “The government is not taking appropriate action because there is too much going on with health care and the economy. Global warming is definitely being put on the back burner,” McGrath said.

Although environmental legislation and action is not being taken immediately the Obama administration is considering some interesting solutions to global warming**.** John P. Holdren is advisor to President Barack Obama for Science and Technology as well as Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Holdren stated that geoengineering is being considered because global warming is occurring so rapidly. Holdren is concerned that the United States and other nations will not slow global warming fast enough. He and other experts are convinced that a warming of a few more degrees could lead to droughts, food shortages, rising seas and more powerful coastal storms. Therefore, Holdren and other scientist are discussing geoengineering which involves tinkering with the Earth’s climate in order to chill global warming.

At one time geoengineering was dismissed as a radical idea but it is currently up for discussion in the White House as a potential emergency option. One solution would involve shooting pollution particles into the upper atmosphere to reflect the sun’s rays. However, geoengineering is an experimental measure that is regarded as a last resort. Scientists also worry about the consequence of measures like these. Some studies predict that one consequence could be the deterioration of a chunk of the ozone layer above the poles which would cause the Mediterranean and the Mideast to be drier. Scientists also have worries about the unforeseen consequences.

Holdren stresses that extreme measures such as geoengineering are a last resort to solving the global warming crisis. Hopefully, the global warming crisis can be solved by reducing the emissions of green house gasses. However, in order for this to be possible society needs to recognize that global warming is an issue and demand that action is taken against it. “Global warming is our number one problem. If we don’t address it now it will become harder to remedy in the future,” McGrath said. The best and most realistic way to combat Global Warming and lessen the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, is to influence the government to make smart choices and smart changes concerning Global Warming.