Yesterday, President Barack Obama became the first president who has taken a stand to stop climate change.
Actually, that isn’t quite true. President Obama took that stand from his first step into the White House. He has put into place a series of initiatives that actually give us a chance at stopping the most serious consequences of climate change. Much of his actions have gone with little public notice. That changed yesterday with his veto of the ill-proposed Keystone XL pipeline.
Vetoing this pipeline, which would increase the rate of extraction of the world’s dirtiest fuels (bitumen and the byproduct petroleum coke), was a no-brainer for anyone concerned about climate change. In fact, it is not possible to be in favor of the Keystone pipeline if you accept the science of climate change. The reason this story is so big isn’t just about carbon dioxide emissions (although that matters). It is more about the strong stand taken by the President against a well-funded campaign to force the pipeline through. It is also important because of the signal it sends to those intent on long term dirty-fuels extraction.
Let’s quickly summarize why the Keystone pipeline was a bad idea to begin with. First, by lowering the production costs, it will increase the rate of extraction of the dirtiest fuels in the world. Second, it will actually raise fuel prices in the United States where much of the tar sands is now sold at a discount. Third, the pipeline will lock in decades of production of dirty fuel even as the costs to deliver wind and solar energy are falling fast and becoming comparable with fossil fuels. Finally, the pipeline would have traversed the United States and would have presented a large spill risk. Why can’t the Canadian government just put the pipeline through their own country? The reason is, their own citizens object.
Back to President Obama. His actions on climate change are numerous and significant. As outlined in his Climate Action Plan, his administration has overseen large investments in renewable energy industries in the U.S. that are creating high-pay and high-skill jobs. He has enacted increases in fuel-efficiency standards which not only reduce emissions but also save money. He has worked on international agreements to reduce hydrofluorocarbons and methane emissions, two potent greenhouse gases.
Even more significantly, he has overseen the plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the nation’s new and existing coal plants; the EPA’s Clean Power Plan rewards state-level initiatives to find flexible solutions to reduce their emissions. And also significantly, the President has achieved a huge agreement with China to curb and reduce carbon pollution.
I spoke with Anthony Swift at the National Resources Defense Council about the Clean Power Plan. He said,
The Clean Power Plan and the rejection of Keystone XL go hand in hand in a national policy to reduce our carbon emissions. On one hand, Clean Power Plan is an ambitious proposal to significantly reduce carbon emissions from our existing energy system; while on the other, rejecting tar sands infrastructure projects like Keystone XL ensures that we don’t undermine those reductions by bringing in new, dirtier fuel sources.
What does all this mean, and how is it related to Keystone? It means that Obama’s legacy is now cemented. He has done more on climate change than any predecessors, by a long shot. Importantly, he has trusted the science. When we look back on his presidency, this will be what he is remembered for.
It also cements the legacy of those who voted in favor of Keystone. It was largely along political party lines; however, in the recent House vote, 29 Democrats voted for the pipeline and one Republican voted against it (Justin Amash), although his reasoning had little to do with climate impacts.
I asked Dr. Joe Romm, founding editor of Climate Progress for his thoughts. He responded,
Posted by John Abraham on Wednesday, 25 February, 2015
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