Not in recent memory has the word of a politician meant so much to so many. Barrack Obama said repeatedly his plan to stimulate the economy would directly be related to the environmental cleansing of the United States. True to his word it looks like that is exactly what he intends to do.
But can he do it? Two of the tougher questions are:
1. Can the US really turn around its past reluctance to embrace environmental issues?
2. Will the infamous US federal bureaucracy and political partisanship hold back needed reforms?
Since his inauguration he has done several things that show that he will be true to his word.
He signed an executive order directing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to re-examine whether states should be allowed to impose their own tougher auto emission standards rather than a less onerous national standard. California sought to impose its own standard which was tougher than that imposed by previous administrations, and 13 other states agreed to adopt similar legislation.
He has also announced a task force with a first order of business to find ways to create new jobs that pay well; reduce pollution; and lessen America’s reliance on foreign oil. By embracing the path to a greener economy Obama is placing America in a situation where they can be leaders in the environmental movement rather than not so innocent bystanders.
Most recently, he has ordered quicker and new efforts to make appliances more energy efficient. The thinking is that more energy efficient appliances like stoves, lamps, dishwashers, washers and dryers will save consumers money and help with the stimulus of the economy. While the appliances may be more expensive in the short term the White House estimates that the tighter standards could save consumers more than USD500 billion over the next 30 years.
President Obama said in his first days, as President, that he would strive to have the amount of electricity generated by renewable resources equal to 10 per cent of the United States usage by 2012. This is a lofty goal and one that has the support of the environmental community.
It may be early but if President Obama continues with this path and along the way gets the support of the environmental movement it will be very hard to beat him in 4 years no matter who the opposing candidate is. More importantly, future presidential candidates will have no choice but to see what kind of power the environmental movement can bring to them.
In the interim we would do well to pay attention to the message that President Obama is trying to deliver. More pointedly, who is the US learning from – Europe, Asia or even Canada?
A question we all might ask of ourselves is "What am I willing or able to do to help him?"
