In his second inaugural speech and his state of the union
address, President Barack Obama promised climate action in government. Friday saw the first move by the
administration towards any kind of environmental changes; Obama announced the
start of a $2 billion research fund that would delve into clean fuel cars. Unfortunately,
the same day, officials in the White House indicated that Obama was leaning
towards approving the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The pipeline
would export tar sand from Canada; it would bisect the US to bring the tar sand
to refineries in the Gulf of Mexico. If Obama approves it, the pipeline would
increase our fuel supply, and therefore our energy security, and provide jobs
in the US and Canada, and therefore good relations with Canada. However, the
pipeline would also cause serious damage to climate change- tar sand is
basically the dirtiest fuel there is and extracting it takes enormous amounts
of energy. What Obama decides on this major controversy will leave a lasting
legacy on not only the US, but the world as a whole.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/mar/15/obama-congress-electric-cars-research
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2013/feb/22/keystone-xl-pipeline-barack-obama-oil-sands
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