THE SHIFT TOWARD FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE

The Surprising Way Obama Is Trying to Tackle Climate Change

Azmat Khan, February 27, 2013 (PBS Frontline)

[Coral Davenport, energy and environment correspondent, National Journal:] “There are two ways to tackle climate change: One is mitigation, [such as] policies that stop emissions, stop carbon. The other is adaptation…The White House has tasked all of the federal agencies with coming up with adaptation plans…ways for farmers to adapt to the drought…[ways for] transportation and housing and urban development departments[to] help cities and towns adapt to the storms…[ways to] build [safer] roads and bridges [and infrastructure]…[for] higher sea levels…[and] flooding…”

[Coral Davenport, energy and environment correspondent, National Journal:] “The issue of climate change remains surprisingly inflammatory. There is a significant [part] of the Republican Party and of the Tea Party that questions the science of climate change… [T]he president just doesn’t want to take the conversation that direction…[O]utreach by federal agencies…[does not get] a high-profile fight…about the politics of climate change…[but gets a] conversation on climate change…into town halls and city halls and planning boards and zoning boards where it’s not partisan…It becomes treated as a matter-of-fact set of issues…baked into how communities are planning…”

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[Coral Davenport, energy and environment correspondent, National Journal:] “…[I]t seems very clear that Congress is going to fail to act, in which case the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does have, under the Clean Air Act…That is a top-down, very aggressive move. It’s sort of a last resort [because] it’s very politically unpopular…EPA is expected to put out final rules essentially saying that companies building new electric utilities will have to limit the emissions…[and saying] existing coal plants will have to cut their emissions…It’s probably going to cause some coal plants to shut down…cost them jobs…have a big environmental impact…[and] cut U.S. carbon pollution. But it will have huge political pushback…”

[Coral Davenport, energy and environment correspondent, National Journal:] “…Shortly after the president’s State of the Union speech in which he called on Congress to act, [Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Bernie Saunders (I-Vt.)], …two of the most liberal members of the Senate, …[introduced] a sweeping and aggressive climate change bill…that would tax carbon emissions. Environmentalists love it, and it’s very clear that it has no chance legislatively at all…The idea is to publicly make an effort in Congress to have a clash, and send the message to the American public [that Congress failed]…[I]t gives the EPA time to gather and write these very difficult and complicated rules…”

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