Climate change and global warming are an urgent global challenge that needs to be addressed without delay. “200 nations around the world … agree it's a problem and intend to solve it,” said President Barack Obama during his annual State of the Union Address.
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Obama on Climate Change
As the world’s second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, the United States must lead the way in the global effort to fight climate change. Ultimately, the solution depends on our ability to move away from fossil fuels and toward a clean energy economy. And that transition must begin at home, something we have already begun to do, said President Obama:
“Seven years ago, we made the single biggest investment in clean energy in our history. Here are the results. In fields from Iowa to Texas, wind power is now cheaper than dirtier, conventional power. On rooftops from Arizona to New York, solar is saving Americans tens of millions of dollars a year on their energy bills and employs more Americans than coal -- in jobs that pay better than average.”
By now it should be obvious that the necessary changes need not be painful. Not only does renewable energy save consumers money, it also creates new jobs and a new opportunity for businesses.
Indeed, the shift toward sustainable energy will create great markets for new technologies, and an opportunity for American businesses to continue engaging in the production and sale of the energy of the future.
For the benefit of all people everywhere, as well as for the good of our planet, we must accelerate the transition away from older, dirtier energy sources.
“Rather than subsidize the past, we should invest in the future, especially in communities that rely on fossil fuels,” said President Obama.
“None of this is going to happen overnight,” he said. “But the jobs we'll create, the money we'll save, the planet we'll preserve, that is the kind of future our kids and our grandkids deserve. And it's within our grasp.”