Climate Time-Bomb Awaits President-elect Obama

Obama’s got to be feeling the pressure. It seems that there are more expectations being hoisted upon him – before ever taking office – than any previous president of late, not the least of which is solving our climate troubles. We environmentalists are certainly hoping for a lot from him, especially considering the fact that we’re emerging from 8 years of disastrous environmental policy. After all, Obama has already pledged his commitment to fighting global warming and protecting the environment.

Amid a chorus of bad news from scientists – about everything from melting glaciers to disappearing species – Obama has his work cut out for him. The economy is collapsing, big business is ratcheting up its lobbying power in preparation for a battle and all the while, the clock is ticking.

From The Huffington Post:

Scientists fear that what’s happening with Arctic ice melt will be amplified so that ominous sea level rise will occur sooner than they expected. They predict Arctic waters could be ice-free in summers, perhaps by 2013, decades earlier than they thought only a few years ago.

In December 2009, diplomats are charged with forging a new treaty replacing the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which set limits on greenhouse gases, and which the United States didn’t ratify. This time European officials have high expectations for the U.S. to take the lead. But many experts don’t see Congress passing a climate bill in time because of pressing economic and war issues.

Complicating everything is the worldwide financial meltdown. Frank Maisano, a Washington energy specialist and spokesman who represents coal-fired utilities and refineries, sees the poor economy as “a huge factor” that could stop everything. That’s because global warming efforts are aimed at restricting coal power, which is cheap. That would likely mean higher utility bills and more damage to ailing economies that depend on coal production, he said.

Obama is stacking his Cabinet and inner circle with advocates who have pushed for deep mandatory cuts in greenhouse gas pollution and even with government officials who have achieved results at the local level.

At least we know Obama’s on our side and plans to act – and we’ve got a Congress that will be far more open to passing important global warming legislation than ever before. Obama has already stated that he plans to address the economy, energy and the environment all at once, and that’s just what most of us were hoping to hear. 2009 may be a tough year for all of us, but the fact that we can trust the man at the helm of the ship is huge.

Link [The Huffington Post]

Related Posts:

Obama Team of Two Minds on Climate Change Action
Climate Scientist Hansen: “Four Years Left” to Save Earth
If Global Warming is to Last 1,000 Years, Why Cut Emissions?
Obama Chooses Climate Specialist as Science Adviser
Obama Reverses Bush-Era Endangered Species Rule