A look back over last eight years shows that a president really does matter
My how far we’ve come in less than eight years. We have seen happen what those of us in the climate and energy fields knew could happen. The US has become a world leader on climate change, dramatically increased our production of clean and renewable fuels, reduced our emissions of greenhouse gases, signed major international agreements to continue progress into the future, and have done so without cost increases or power disruptions that the denial community proclaimed would occur.
As we in the United States get ready to elect a new president, it is helpful to think about the impact a president can have. Particularly since we transitioned from the worst climate president ever (Bush) to the best (Obama). I am going to detail what I think are Obama’s signature accomplishments.
President Obama has acted boldly to address the threat of climate change at home and abroad. He has demonstrated American leadership on the world stage in forging the Paris agreement and the Kigali amendment, steps that would have been unthinkable under his predecessor. And, using existing law, President Obama has helped shape a new approach to domestic carbon emissions with the Clean Power Plan. Sadly, Republicans in Congress have consistently put polluters ahead of our planet and attempted to stymie every administration initiative on climate change. That has made President Obama’s job tougher – and it makes his accomplishments on climate even more impressive.