Obama administration demonstrates historic rules to cut coal pollution by 30%

The Obama administration showed notable environment directives for clipping carbon pollution from power plants by 30%, stimulating vision for a global agreement to end climate change. The fresh rules, officially declared by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), characterise the first time Barack Obama, or any other President, has been motivated to control carbon pollution from power plants. Power plants are the biggest single source of Carbon dioxide (CO₂) discharges that trigger climate change.
The directives, which would slash carbon pollution from power plants by 30% from 2005 levels by 2030, would combat climate change whilst furnishing US with steadfast and cheap power. Former US Vice-President Al Gore  on EPA Carbon Emissions Guidelines held that the novel rules were “the most important step taken to combat the climate crisis in our country’s history”.
The guidelines would hopefully prove to be a critical step to dealing with climate change. Power plants are the largest single source of carbon pollution, accounting for nearly 40% of the emissions that trigger climate change.
At present, in US there are no national restrictions to the amount of carbon pollution that Power plants can pump into the atmosphere. Albeit, CO₂ from power plants had been falling since 2005, owing to the economic recession and the shift from coal to inexpensive natural gas.
Thus, these directives would put US on passage for long term and long-term cuts to carbon pollution. These fresh standards would also send a strong communication across the world that it’s occasion to face the universal risk of climate change.
The rules could affect 1,600 power plants across US. About 600 of these operate on coal, including many that are nearly 50 years old and will have the most difficulty meeting the new standards.
States and Power companies will have a variety of alternatives to accomplish the new standards: substituting coal by cleaner-burning natural gas; establishing cap-and-trade markets; increasing renewables such as wind and solar power; or boosting customers to consume less energy by switching to more effective heating and cooling appliances. States will have to come up with a plan till 2016 to mee the goals. Some states will have less go-getting targets, while others will have more.

But the lobby groups for the coal industry, which will be hit toughest by the fresh directions, held that the directives would upset the economy and lead to power outages. The Republicans also held the fresh benchmarks would “kill coal” and eventually lead to power outages.

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2014