Post date: Jun 22, 2013 9:45:55 PM
President Barack Obama announces he will lay out his "vision" for a global response to climate change during a policy speech in Washington next week, as he sets to make the battle over climate change a priority for his second term.
WASHINGTON, D.C. UNITED STATES, (JANUARY 21, 2013) (WHITE HOUSEVIDEO) - U.S. President Barack Obama announced in a White House video message on Saturday (June 22) that he will lay out his "vision" for a "global" response to climate change during a policy speech at Georgetown University in Washington on Tuesday (June 25).
In the video message, Obama reminded viewers that he pledged during his inaugural address to offer a response to "the growing threat of climate change"."I will lay out my vision for where I believe we need to go," Obama said. "A national plan to reduce carbon pollution, prepare our country for the impacts of climate change and lead global efforts to fight it."
Sources familiar with the plans told Reuters earlier that Obama will roll out a number of measures in his speech that could potentially include a strategy to limit greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants.
The potential move on power utilities, which account for roughly 40 percent of the nation's carbon dioxide emissions, will come as Obama sets to make the battle over climate change a priority for his second term.
Environmentalists have been pushing the administration to set tighter standards for the roughly 1,400 coal-fired burners that feed the nation's electric grid.
Earlier this week, several environmental groups said that they would delay planned lawsuits against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to set standard for new power plants, as they await the White House's proposals.
Besides framing power plant emissions in the context of climate change, many of the steps outlined by Obama to curb demand for carbon-based fuels are likely to be modest, such as emphasizing the importance of conserving energy.