Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen! I am glad to see so many of you here today. My name is xxxxxxxxxx and I am a student at Columbia University. Today’s talk is going to be about Obama’s climate change plan, as I am studying economics. I will first of all present Obama’s climate change, and the reasons behind it. Then I will discuss the arguments, and comment on the consequences. Last but not least, we will have a question-round.
It is obvious that today’s biggest threat to our future generations is climate change. Obama came up with “America’s Clean Power Plan” in 2015. Through decades of carefully collected data and overwhelming scientific harmony. We can both see and feel the climate change. increasing sea levels, hotter summers, extreme weather-events like storms, deeper droughts and longer wildfire seasons. These catastrophes are becoming more and more frequent, expensive and especially dangerous. Our health is being challenged too. Asthma is becoming more and more frequent as well. Asthma rates have even doubled! The climate changing should not be a problem for our next generations, as Obama presents in his video, therefore we have to make a change in our lifestyle. He is hoping the result of this plan will be decreased pollution, by a process reducing the carbon emissions of power plants. I will today be discussing his arguments behind “America’s Clean Power Plan”. His main arguments are the following:
The main purpose of this plan is the reduction of carbon pollution. Today, power plants are the single biggest source of harmful carbon pollution that contributes to climate change. The Clean Power Plan is set to to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 32% from 2005 levels by 2030, which is 9% more than the proposed rules previously set forth by the Obama administration. Another reason why to start reducing carbon pollution, is that asthma rates have more than doubled over the last few decades. The smog created by carbon pollution is the one to blame.
Due to climate change, we have progressed a few health issues. As said before, the asthma-rates have more than doubled over the last few decades. Additionally, will our warmer weather result in diseases spreading faster. Warmer oceans leads to several types of bacteria in our seafood.
We have several environmental issues brought by pollution and climate change as well. Obama himself emphasize hotter summers, rising sea-levels, extreme weather events – like stronger storms, deeper droughts and longer wildfire seasons. Climate change is not only a threat to our environment; it threatens our property, transportation, comfort, and basically quality of life. It is an urgent growing threat to our national security, it is contributing to an increase of natural disasters, refugee flow and conflicts over basic necessary resources as food and water. Changes in temperature under caused by global warming may lead to other effects, that threaten human health and safety. Changes in precipitation patterns and prolonged heat can create drought, which can cause forest fires, putting residents and firefighters in danger. Warmer waters also intend to spawn more tropical hurricanes and typhoons. Sunlight, warm air and pollution from power plants and cars burning gasoline, are major factors in poor air quality. This reduction in carbon pollution, would first of all increase America’s population chances for better health. Besides that, it would defeat the environmental worries in America.
As you can see here on the Power Point, I have brought two Gallup polls about Americans’ concern on global warming. These polls tell us, that Americans’ today show very little attention on climate change. They do not seem to care at all, which is one of my biggest concerns. What about our future generations? The first survey presented, shows us, that only 43% American national adults, worry about global warming. If we don’t care, how should we ever change our habits? Maybe the older part of America’s population has started thinking, that they won’t be affected by global warming, so why should we care? The second survey presented show us, that peoples opinion towards global warming, hasn’t really changed between 2014 – 2015. Every answer has only moved by 1-3%, or not even at all. It is a huge concern, that 62% Americans in 2015 believed that climate change wouldn’t have a negative impact on their lives. On the other hand, I am happy to see that 55% Americans in 2015 believed that human activities have had an impact on the Earth’s temperature rise. But why aren’t people taking an act then? President Obama beg his citizens to start raising awareness on climate change. He says: “Push your own communities to adopt smarter, more sustainable practices. Remind everyone who represents you that protecting the world we leave to our children is a prerequisite for your vote.” This is such an encouraging sentence. Not any of you would want your children or grandchildren go through sickness caused by unusual diseases caused by rising degreased, so why not act now? It is so important for our earth, your next generations safety and our environments safety.
President Obama has an intention on making America the number one leader in fighting global warming. This could make him even more remarkable, as this was one of his most important promises of his first presidential campaign. Since Obama took the office, the U.S has tripled electricity production from wind power. President Obama is also hoping, that his plan will reinforce his leadership: “President Barack Obama has announced sweeping climate change regulations that he hopes will cement his legacy as a world leader who fought global warming.” As far as I know Obama both rebuilt and learned from the Hurricane Sandy. He delivered a rebuilding strategy not soon after the catastrophe. Obama is a man who take action.
These four reasons for following Obama’s climate change plan, are reasons why we should be following the plan. We have to take a look on the negative perspectives as well. We would possibly be affected by:
The new regulations will most likely affect low-income families. A median family will spend approximately 5 cents out of every dollar on energy costs, and a low-income family will spend approximately 20 cents out of every dollar. Unfortunately will the increased electricity bills also have an impact on manufacturers. There will probably be a higher cost of the goods they purchase, and the energy is a necessary component to manufacture those goods.
Another consequence would be a drop in the state economies, as some states in America have coal power plant economies. Kentucky’s leader worry if coal plants cannot do what they have always done. He worries that people would be laid off and the government would be outsmarting. If people were being laid off, they wouldn’t be able to find a similar job, where they could use their knowledge.
Several states actually threatened to sue, before it was even finished. Some people are saying, the the plan will make America uncompetitive. Throughout my speech I have tried to present both the negative and the positive aspects. If we leave the politics aside… I believe that America potentially could become the number one country in the fight against climate change. The biggest problem is the nation’s population’s awareness of the consequences by climate change and global warming.
That sums it up for me. Feel free to ask questions and I will do my best to answer them. Once again thank you for the invitation; it has been a privilege speaking to you today. If you have any interest in contacting me, my e-mail address is sofie.andersen.sha@gmail.com