by Andrew Miller
9. December 2008 04:54
Well, come 20th January 2009 we can look forward to a new era of American politics. Barrack Obama looks to be showing a genuine interest in environmental issues, and has made a number of impressive pledges:
- 5 Million Green Collar Jobs
- A Bold New National Goal on Energy Efficiency
You can read about Obama's new energy policies in-depth on his website: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/newenergy
But what can we really expect from the Obama presidency. Can we really be audacious enough to hope for a more concerted and meaningful committment to addressing the crucial issues of climate change? To get things up and running, the blog Ruminations of an Aspiring Ecologist posted a piece today about an interview given on Living on Earth where two climate change experts claimed:
"If the US takes a leadership role in climate and energy policy, the rest of the world will have to follow."
AHEARN: Obama's speech before the nation's governors sets the stage for upcoming climate talks in Poland next month. Fuchan Yang, vice-president of Beijing-based Energy Foundation, says Obama's commitment to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions is a challenge China will have to meet.
YANG: Now the wind change – the new administration will make change – also this change is not only for U.S. but also in China. So here China will exceed U.S. very soon become number one emitters. So when U.S. joins the international community for the commitment, China have to do something.
AHEARN: India also faces that challenge – the rapidly developing nation is a major emitter of greenhouse gases. Arvind Kumar, of the Indian Forest Service, attended the Governors' conference in California. He heard Barack Obama's speech.
KUMAR: He was full of confidence and conviction as far as tackling this great global climate issue is concerned. The USA is the number one country in the world and the president elect of that country, if he's confident we're going to tackle it, I think the world will tackle it. All countries will support, irrespective of caste, color, region or politics. It's a great issue because in this particular crisis, either all of us will remain or all of us will perish.
Is this the moment we've all been waiting for? I guess we'll have to wait and see...
