Speaking Out on Climate Change in the State of the Union
By: Lauren Farber
The pending US climate change legislation is widely considered to be in peril due to legislative infighting, particularly over the bill’s endorsement of cap and trade policy. On the eve of President Obama’s first State of the Union, The New York Times came out in support of the bill and called upon the President to make the case for it to the American public. Having promised in Copenhagen to meet a 17% reduction goal by 2020, Obama’s own credibility is at stake. Ultimately, however, there are far more reasons to pass this bill than there are to let it die a quiet death in Congress. In many ways, the debate happening on Capitol Hill demonstrates a preoccupation with satisfying special interests at the expense of giving voice to newly emerging public opinions about climate change. However, many question public commitment to this cause, especially with regard to the cost to taxpayers. According to Carroll Doherty of the Pew Center for People & the Press, “There’s more support than opposition for [legislation], but people haven’t heard a lot about this. This issue is off the radar for a lot of people.”
That is why it is so important for President Obama to highlight this issue in his speech tomorrow night. He needs to frame climate change legislation in the context of economic growth and national security interests. Senators such as John Kerry, Joe Lieberman and Lindsay Graham are working at refining the bill, but do so at the potential cost of key elements crucial to reducing emissions. There will be little incentive for innovation in safe energy and green technologies unless Congress puts a price on carbon emissions. Scientists estimate that there needs to be a radical reduction in emissions by 2050 in order to offset serious environmental threats. Now is the time for a robust legislative movement to pass the climate change bill in the interest of investing in the future.
