Shaun Polczer, CALGARY: If there were any doubts about US president Barack Obama’s determination to tackle climate change, it was put to rest in his State of the Union speech on 13 February.
Continuing on themes touched on in his inaugural address, Obama vowed the world’s largest energy consumer would continue on the path to higher efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions. And, if Congress decides not to pass comprehensive climate change legislation, Obama pledged to exercise his executive powers and go it alone.
“We can choose to believe that superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence. Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science – and act before it’s too late,” he said.
“If Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I will.”
The centrepiece of his...