Climate Forgotten As Obama Swings To Center

Mindful of 2012 elections, President Obama offers sacrificial lambs to Congress

As is customary, President Obama delivered his state of the union address on 25 January to the US Congress. Having lost the lower House to the Republicans and with 2012 election not far away, he is single-mindedly focused on bringing the US economy back to life and put the unemployed masses back to work. He has decided to be more pragmatic and less idealistic while moving to the center of the political divide. He sounded more conciliatory, willing to compromise even on issues of principle that usually separates the two parties.

Not green but rather clean

What did the President actually say?

  • “Now, clean energy breakthroughs will only translate into clean energy jobs if businesses know there will be a market for what they’re selling. So tonight, I challenge you to join me in setting a new goal: By 2035, 80% of America’s electricity will come from clean energy sources.”
  • Some folks want wind and solar. Others want nuclear, clean coal and natural gas. To meet this goal, we will need them all — and I urge Democrats and Republicans to work together to make it happen.

On energy, he mentioned a goal to obtain 80% of the US electricity from clean energy resources by 2035 (see box). That sounds impressive at first glance until you find that his definition of clean includes natural gas, clean coal, nuclear and, of course, renewable resources. It is a good start, but not as clean as some would have liked it. Natural gas, while emitting half as much greenhouse gas (GHG) as coal, is not exactly clean or green.

Nor was the President clear what fits his definition for clean coal — just how clean does it have to be. Nuclear, of course, does not emit GHG emissions but does not qualify as clean in some peoples’ definition. And the 2035 target date is so distant as to be irrelevant. Not many businesses will their investment plans tomorrow to meet a target set for 2035.

He mentioned a million electric vehicles (EVs) on the road by 2015 and other lofty goals, including high-speed rail by 2035. The former sounds impressive but amounts to not even 0.5% of cars on American roads. The latter also sounds impressive until you realize that China is building a 10,000 mile high-speed network within a decade.

The President referred to President Kennedy and the Sputnik challenge — but failed to inspire or challenge on the same scale. One can certainly blame the dismal state of the US economy, the double-digit unemployment and massive budget deficits — projected to approach 10% of GDP in 2011 — for the timid agenda. China’s ascent as a global power, as un-welcomed as it may be, is no match for the threat of Soviet supremacy at the height of the cold war.

To no one’s surprise, President Obama did not mention climate change or the need to curb carbon emissions. Perhaps the recent cold spell in the Northeast made it unnecessary to bring up the unpopular subject. Political winds are clearly blowing in a different direction, and there is no longer any need — or room — for Ms. Carol Browner, the President’s so-called Energy Czar. It is not even clear what will happen to the Office of Energy & Climate Change.

The Obama that spoke in late January 2011 sounded very different than the Obama that ran for President only a couple of years ago.

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