I am feeling very hopeful that the United States is finally going to tackle climate change.  President-Elect Obama has shown that he intends to put the full muscle of the federal government into halting, and then reversing, the greenhouse gas emissions that are, at this point, still accelerating. 

     And not a moment too soon.  The world lost eight valuable years with George Bush dithering and denying the gravity of climate change.  While a great deal of damage to the planet and to many of our fellow creatures cannot be undone, I am hopeful that over the next four years we will make significant headway in averting catastrophe for the entire planet.

     Following is a brief description of Mr. Obama’s appointments to important environmental posts that are inspiring me with hope:  

•  John Holdren, science advisor.  According to Science magazine, this president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science has “more combined expertise on both climate science and clean energy technology than any other person who could plausibly have been named science advisor.”  Holdren clearly understands the seriousness of the problem, having said recently, “It is too late for avoiding dangerous climate change.  We must focus on avoiding catastrophic climate change.”
• Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy.  This Nobel Prize-winning physicist takes climate change very seriously.  He said recently that scientists have come to realize that the earth’s climate is more sensitive than was thought previously.  The world’s other top emitter of greenhouse gases–China–has hailed the appointment of a Chinese-American to the Energy post.  Chu may be uniquely suited to engage in successful negotiations with China regarding emissions reductions by our two countries.
• Lisa Jackson, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator.   Perhaps the most controversial of Obama’s environmental picks, Jackson has been praised for her leadership on climate change in her role as New Jersey’s chief environmental regulator.  She is known for pragmatic approaches, some of which have angered environmentalists, others of which have angered industry.  She is expected to act aggressively on climate change in her new federal position.
• Nancy Sutley, chief, Council on Environmental Quality.  She is an expert on climate, energy, and air policies and has worked at the local, state, and federal levels.  The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) praises her extensive political skills.
• Carol Browner, Energy Tsar.  In creating this new position, Obama has underscored his position that clean energy and climate protection are keys to spurring economic recovery, while safeguarding the planet, according to NRDC.  Browner, EPA Administrator during the Clinton years, was given high marks for her efforts to protect environmental rules from Newt Gingrich and the GOP, who were trying to dismantle them, en masse.  Browner’s role as ‘Tsar’ will be to coordinate energy and environmental policy among the myriad federal agencies and to head a National Energy Council.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 29th, 2008 at 8:26 am and is filed under Good news for Mother Earth!. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.