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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Down To Earth

Why Obama didn’t mention climate change in his State Of The Union





















It’s unsurprising, I suppose, that our President omitted the “c-word” last night.

But as David Roberts pointed out, in 2009, the President talked about “saving our planet from the ravages of climate change.” In 2010, he mentioned the "overwhelming scientific evidence on climate change." Why not now? Is it too divisive? New York Times blogger Andrew Revkin said Obama is trying to "build a new American energy conversation on points of agreement rather than clear ideological flash points like global warming." And that’s fine. But it’s troubling be so defensive . The fact that fifty-seven percent of Americans polled last year believe climate change is happening compared with a figure of 71 percent in October 2008 shouldn’t have such an impact on the dialogue This is a time for improved public education and communication on climate change. The science is getting stronger after the hottest year on record while public opinion is going in the opposite direction.  The omission signifies the skeptics have won.

There were some highlights like the pledge to eliminate billions in tax breaks for oil companies and to have one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015; the pledge to have eighty percent of the country’s electricity come from clean energy sources by 2035.

But Roberts puts it best: The U.S. needs to get at or close to zero carbon emissions by the middle of this century or there will be severe and possibly irreversible changes in the climate, leading to massive, widespread human suffering. That's why we don't have time to wait for the invisible hand of the market. That's why we need massive investments, tighter regulations, and a price on climate pollution. That's the threat. Without it, a push for clean energy is a nice slogan that can easily be shunted aside when, oh, gas prices are rising, or there's a recession, or Joe Manchin need to get reelected.

The threat of climate change is what justifies and animates the clean energy race. That's the substantive need.


Yes, the economy is dominating but the US public suffers – and politicians will be forced to deal with climate change, whether people believe it or not.



Down To Earth

The DTE blog is committed to reporting and sharing environmental news and sustainability information from across the Inland Northwest.