As CO2 Levels Rise, Obama Still All Talk And No Action

authordefault
on

President Obama is once again talking out of both sides of his mouth with regard to the need to protect the environment.

After joining Facebook last week, the President used his very first video post to address the issue of climate change. The President said in the video: “Now, we’ve made a lot of progress to cut carbon pollution here at home, and we’re leading the world to take action as well. But we’ve got to do more. In a few weeks, I’m heading to Paris to meet with world leaders about a global agreement to meet this challenge.”

While the President’s detractors attacked him for believing something so foolish, the people who have been paying attention to Obama’s actions in recent years have an entirely different, and legitimate, reason to question the President’s message. Namely, President Obama has done very little to fulfill his lofty promises about tackling climate change.

Yes, we got a rule from the EPA to limit emissions from coal-fired power plants. Yes, the Keystone XL pipeline has been rejected (for now.) And yes, we finally have a President of the United States that both accepts the science of climate change and believes that we should do something about it. But that’s roughly where the accomplishments end.

As President Obama was recording his urgent Facebook plea to act on climate change, a new report came out that received far less fanfare than the President’s social media prowess. This new report, from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), tells us that global CO2 emissions hit record highs in 2014, and that 2015 is on track to at least match those same levels.

The Hill has more:

According to the study, the worldwide warming effect of greenhouse gases increased 36 percent between 1990 and 2014, something the group blamed on the increase in carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions from human activity.

The report comes weeks before a United Nations meeting in Paris focused on crafting a deal to reduce worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. The WMO said that the increase in gases should be a warning sign for world leaders.

While the WMO report tallies the total of global emissions, it should be noted that U.S.-centered studies have also revealed that the United States’ share of carbon emissions is hitting new highs, as well.

In 2013, the latest year for which full data is available, U.S. emissions rose by 2.5%, a sharp contrast to the previous 5 years when emissions were actually falling. Most analysts attribute this fall in emissions to the economic recession in the United States and not as a reflection on the policies of the administration.

This 2014 article from The Guardian goes deeper into the numbers:

The data also showed a 4.8% increase in the use of energy from coal, and a 10% fall in energy from natural gas.

Emissions were still 10% below 2005 levels.

But the latest figures deepen doubts about whether America will meet its existing commitments for a 17% cut in emissions by 2020 without additional actions, or make the cuts required in the coming decades even deeper.

Additionally, the United States has increased domestic oil production and the amount of oil being pumped out of the ground on U.S. soil is expected to reach the highest level in history before Obama leaves office.

The bottom line is that emissions are rising, dirty energy production is climbing, and the United States is doing too little to solve this problem. When it comes to climate change, an “all of the above” attitude towards energy simply doesn’t work.

If we want to get serious about reducing our emissions then we have to address our fossil fuel addiction. Right now, the United States is acting like a smoker who thinks they won’t get cancer because they eat a plate of fresh steamed vegetables every evening.

You can’t have it both ways.

authordefault

Farron Cousins is the executive editor of The Trial Lawyer magazine, and his articles have appeared on The Huffington Post, Alternet, and The Progressive Magazine. He has worked for the Ring of Fire radio program with hosts Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Mike Papantonio, and Sam Seder since August 2004, and is currently the co-host and producer of the program. He also currently serves as the co-host of Ring of Fire on Free Speech TV, a daily program airing nightly at 8:30pm eastern. Farron received his bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of West Florida in 2005 and became a member of American MENSA in 2009.  Follow him on Twitter @farronbalanced.

Related Posts

on

The deal would place 40 percent of California’s idle wells in the hands of one operator. Campaigners warn this poses an "immense" risk to the state — which new rules could help to mitigate, depending on how regulators act.

The deal would place 40 percent of California’s idle wells in the hands of one operator. Campaigners warn this poses an "immense" risk to the state — which new rules could help to mitigate, depending on how regulators act.
Opinion
on

Corporations are using sport to sell the high-carbon products that are killing our winters, and now we can put a figure on the damage their money does.

Corporations are using sport to sell the high-carbon products that are killing our winters, and now we can put a figure on the damage their money does.
on

Inside the conspiracy to take down wind and solar power.

Inside the conspiracy to take down wind and solar power.
on

A new report estimates the public cost of underwriting U.S. plastics industry growth and the environmental violations that followed.

A new report estimates the public cost of underwriting U.S. plastics industry growth and the environmental violations that followed.