Does D.C. Have the Guts to Really Stop Climate Change?

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What, if Anything, Will D.C. Do on Climate?

In his second inaugural address, President Obama declared that he would act on climate change and pursue sustainable energy, saying, “We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations...The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But American cannot resist this transition. We must lead it.”

This declaration was a dream come true for many wanting Obama to lead the charge for climate change and sustainable energy, since the the United States hasn’t exactly been leading the world in either.

Whether it’s America failing to crack the top ten nations in clean-energy investments, the federal government allowing Shell to drill in the Arctic, or the cash for clunkers program being an environmental boondoggle, many have been left wondering about the administration’s commitment to fighting climate change.

The next four years offer promise, but there are a handful of moving pieces that will determine how effective Washington will be.

Click through the gallery to learn about Washington’s biggest challenges.

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Sequestration and the Fiscal Showdown

If Congress can’t agree on a deficit-reduction package, the government will see $1.2 trillion in automatic, across-the-board spending cuts in late March. Why? In 2011, Congress passed the Budget Control Act, which used the spending cuts as an incentive to agree to an eventual deficit deal. Well, they still can’t agree on anything.

The potential result in March will be major cuts to clean energy R&D and deployment programs at the Department of Energy, Department of Defense, and other agencies. It will also significantly reduce the budget for our national parks system, making it more difficult for the cash-strapped agency to manage our beloved public lands.

Photo: Roger L. Wollenberg/Getty Images

A New Energy Secretary

Steven Chu, a huge supporter of clean energy and a strong believer in the need to fight climate change, is on his way out as Secretary of Energy. There’s a lot of speculation about whether Obama will bring in an experienced politician or an “outsider” who can bring fresh ideas to the agency. Whoever it is, the timing couldn’t be more important for shaping America’s climate-friendly energy policy.

In his parting letter to DOE employees, Chu made a strong call for action on climate: “Ultimately we have a moral responsibility to the most innocent victims of adverse climate change. Those who will suffer the most are the people who are the most innocent: the world’s poorest citizens and those yet to be born.” Environmentalists are hoping Chu’s replacement comes out just as strong on these issues and executes Obama’s climate strategy in a second term.

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

A New Secretary of the Interior

Ken Salazar is also leaving his post as Secretary of the Interior. This week Obama named Sally Jewell, the CEO of the outdoor equipment company REI, as his replacement. Jewell has a lot of experience advocating for the importance of outdoor recreation and protection of lands. However, some environmentalists are skeptical of her previous experience working as an engineer for Mobil Oil.

Although outgoing Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has been a major supporter of renewable energy, he’s also been historically weak on protecting lands. Under the leadership of Salazar, the Obama Administration set aside fewer permanently protected lands than the W. Bush, Clinton, H.W. Bush, and Reagan Administrations. For the sake of the climate and public lands, environmentalists are hoping Sally Jewell won’t lean too heavily on her oil industry experience to run the agency.

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Fight Over Energy Incentives

If it doesn’t happen during the fiscal brawl over the next month, Congress will likely take up debate on tax subsidies for oil, gas, and renewables sometime later this year. There’s a growing interest among Congressional lawmakers and the White House to revisit tax policy for the energy sector. Even many conservative lawmakers hostile to renewable energy are becoming interested in rolling back century-old tax breaks for the oil & gas sector. Environmentalists are pushing hard for the rollback of fossil fuel tax breaks. Clean energy supporters are cautiously approaching the debate, concerned that more nascent industries will suffer if they completely lose all their incentives. But if the debate proceeds like it has in the past, the fossil fuel industry will spend a lot of money to squelch momentum in Congress for repealing its subsidies.

Photo: Scott J. Ferrell/Getty Images

Obama’s Approach to Climate

The President says that climate change is going to be one of his top priorities in his second term. So far, there are very few signals that the Administration is gearing up efforts to propose anything serious. The White House has avoided talking about a carbon tax and it has tried to separate economic issues from environmental ones—a half-baked approach to talking about the importance of climate action.

That’s not to say the President isn’t serious. Since his reelection, he has increasingly indicated that he wants to address climate change once again. It’s just not clear that his team has a coherent plan to actually undertake the task. As a new analysis from the World Resources Institute points out, the U.S. is falling short of its voluntary target to reduce emissions 17 percent by 2020. If Obama wants to leave an important environmental legacy, he needs to start rolling out some big ideas soon.

Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images

See More Actions

Climate change isn’t a problem of tomorrow – it’s affecting us today! Extreme weather events like Hurricane Sandy will become more and more frequent if we continue to produce carbon dioxide at this rate. If you support the advocacy work of groups like the Environmental Defense Fund, sign on to tell President Obama to make climate change a priority in his second term!

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Full Petition Text

Dear President Obama,

Climate change is the largest environmental threat facing our country and it’s getting worse.

Massive natural disasters, like Hurricane Sandy, are becoming more and more frequent and climate change is a major contributor. These extreme weather events are becoming the new normal and that worries me.

During your first term, you made some important steps forward in the fight to prevent climate change. Thank you.

But, there is still more to be done. Climate change needs to be a top priority in your second term. This means continuing to promote clean energy, preventing deforestation, getting serious about a carbon tax, and becoming an international leader in the fight to prevent climate change.

Please act now and make sure that future generations don’t have to pay for our mistakes.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

About The Petition

Organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund have been warning for years that global warming will lead to more extreme weather events. Hurricane Sandy was just the most recent example: in the past year, we’ve seen a devastating drought in the Midwest, widespread flooding in the Philippines, and massive blizzards throughout Europe.

The President has made some progress in the fight to stop climate change, notably supporting clean energy alternatives. But prominent environmental groups believe this needs to be a priority for his second term.

This means continuing to promote clean energy, preventing deforestation, getting serious about a carbon tax, and becoming a global climate change leader. Organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund are encouraging the president to make climate change a priority over the next four years. Add your name if you support their work.

Thank You!

Thank you for taking action to raise awareness about climate change!

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Stephen Lacey is a Senior Editor at Greentech Media, where he reports on the business of cleantech. He was formerly Deputy Editor of Climate Progress, a leading climate and energy blog run by the Center for American Progress. He writes daily on clean energy policy, technologies, and finance. He received his B.A. in journalism from Franklin Pierce University.

Does D.C. Have the Guts to Really Stop Climate Change?

What, if Anything, Will D.C. Do on Climate?

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Sequestration and the Fiscal Showdown

Photo: Roger L. Wollenberg/Getty Images

A New Energy Secretary

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

A New Secretary of the Interior

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Fight Over Energy Incentives

Photo: Scott J. Ferrell/Getty Images

Obama’s Approach to Climate

Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images

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