WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama unveiled a major climate change plan on Monday aimed at a large reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from America’s coal-burning power plants.

“This is the biggest most important step we’ve ever taken to combat climate change,” said Mr Obama, while announcing his ‘Clean Power Plan’, which is the final version of regulations by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised President Obama for his “visionary leadership,” which showed the US “determination to address global warming”.

Take a look: Responding to climate change

In a televised speech from the White House, the US president warned that “no challenge poses a greater threat to our future” than climate change.

He said levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today were the highest they have been in 800,000 years.

Under the plan, the US administration will require states to meet specific carbon emission reduction standards.

The plan requires carbon emissions in the United States to be reduced 32 per cent by the year 2030, relative to 2005 levels which is scheduled to become effective on Jan 20, 2017.

The plan also includes an incentive for states to get a head start on meeting standards on early deployment of renewable energy and low-income energy efficiency.

“Power plants are the single biggest source of harmful carbon pollution that contributes to climate change,” Mr Obama said.

“Until now, there have been no federal limits to the amount of carbon pollution plants dump in the air.”

He said the United States needed to implement this plan, ‘if we want to protect our economy, security and children’s health (as) … no challenge poses a greater threat to our future”.

The plan, however, immediately became a major issue for the 2016 presidential election, with Democratic presidential candidates praising it as a step in the right direction, while Republicans calling it an over-regulation that will reduce jobs and inflate utility bills.

The plan “drives investments in clean energy and energy efficiency, reduces asthma attacks and premature deaths, and promotes a healthier environment and a stronger economy,” said Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

Another Democratic presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, said the plan was “a step forward in ending our dependence on fossil fuel and I support that effort”.

But former Florida governor and a prominent Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said, “the rule runs over state governments, will throw countless people out of work, and increases everyone’s energy prices.”

Wisconsin Gov Scott Walker said the plan would cost hard-working Americans jobs and raise their energy rates.

Mr Walker, like other Republican candidates, vowed to stop it if elected.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2015

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