Climate change is an international affliction, and it is time for our country to address the imposing calamity.

President Barack Obama’s Climate Action plan, while receiving less than adequate coverage by media outlets, has shown that the president has the moxie to make bold moves in a tension-high, partisan government. To date, Congress has not addressed any part of this overarching environmental issue.

Though most points in the action plan might seem mild to the ardent climate advocate, the overall theme is a breath of fresh air for American environmental policy, which has recently not progressed at the same pace as other countries’ policies.

By using newfound credibility and finding solutions to American problems, the Obama administration has created a viable plan for the United States in combating current environmental crises.

Though late to the game, this plan is a vital first step for the United States in the remediation of climate change’s deleterious effects.

Climate change is a complex process that affects a broad population in various ways, from sea to shining (polluted) sea.

The plan, announced June 25, is divided into three sections meant to be actions in the present that remediate the past and protect our futures: “Cut Carbon Pollution in America,” “Prepare the U.S. for the Impacts of Climate Change” and “Lead International Efforts to Address Climate Change.”

Within the plan, Obama and his administration have created solutions to some of American families’ greatest points of interest: health — be it human or environmental — and the economy.

1. A leading point is the development of clean energy practices, which improves our safety as a country and as individuals no matter which way you look at it — via economic progress in a new field or from dangerous health hazards.

2. The plan includes an executive order to create carbon pollution limits on power plants to be devised by the Environmental Protection Agency within the next year — a controversial component for some, but a large step in addressing climate change. These limits, combined with goals to advance transportation sectors and preserve forests, are a mixed bag of solutions that seem befitting of the problem.

3. The plan also tackles preparation for more natural disasters, which have increased in severity by climate change. Such events are still in the thoughts of many Americans, from the Hurricane Sandy-ravaged Atlantic coast to the scorched, fire-eaten West.

4. The plan says credibility is at a new time high, and provides scientific data in real-world language. This is revolutionary in a field that is too often solely understood by climate nerds.

5. Increasingly gruesome floods and droughts have become imprinted on American minds, and this plan deals with the costs of homes destroyed and rising food and water prices.

These solutions address everyday Americans, whether it is the electricity that charges their iPhones or the transportation they take to work and school. It also targets the power plants and businesses that can reduce their pollution and increase their outputs at the same time.

This plan is based on points that every day Americans care about. They care about what money is left in their pockets and the health of their families.

These lifestyle components are affected by climate change, and these components are addressed in the Climate Action Plan.

It is true that 99 percent of scientists recognize climate change, as it states in the president’s plan. Even scientists who previously discredited its existence now acknowledge the precarious point of time in which we now live.

Leaders in new, green technology will be the leaders of a new world. Already, countries across the globe are speeding ahead in clean energy fields.

Like many times before, America has been the leader, and with the Climate Action Plan, the current administration is urging the country to lead again.

Meg Callaghan is a senior environmental studies major and writing minor at SUNY-ESF. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at mlcallag@syr.edu. 

Published on July 11, 2013 at 12:22 am