Als Obama eens zou doen wat Europa doet

Pauw, Pieter / Louise van Schaik
Externe Publikationen (2015)

in: NRC Handelsblad 07.08.2015

Information

This week Obama presented the US' most ambitious climate plans ever. It focuses on addressing carbon emissions on coal fired power plants. Obama wants to leave a legacy here, and states that the US now leads in the fight against climate change. The plan was announced on Facebook on Sunday with a fancy youtube video. On Monday Obama presented the plan with one of his typical fantastic speeches. He even went off-script, speeched for 30 minutes and received a standing ovation. Many environmental organisation consider Obama's plan as a crucial step to prevent dangerous climate change. However, the mitigation ambition is not nearly as high as the ambition of the EU; no policy has passed the Congress meaning a new president can make plans undone, and the plan focuses on the energy sector only, leaving e.g. the transport sector (34% of the US emissions) aside.