U.S. government to reduce GHG emissions

Will the Federal government really reduce its GHG emissions?

The U.S. government has announced its intention to reduce its GHG emissions by 28% by 2020. Apparently President Obama issued an executive order.

It’s funny that I am finding myself taking a much more cynical view of the Obama presidency after the state of the union address. I’m not sure what it is, yet, but something about everything coming out of the White House now seems to strike me as political chess less so than it used to. Maybe I was swept up in the honeymoon period for longer than some, maybe I truly believed in what Obama was saying for the past year, or maybe I just wanted to.

But when I hear this all I think is: yeah, right. There are no details. There is no plan that I see. That may be more of a service of the news wire- maybe there is more to the story than they wrote. But the entire announcement got about 4 lines. Then stop.

And why now? Is this supposed to make up for failing at Copenhagen and for the very real possibility that nothing will happen this year either, so the U.S. will very easily limp into Mexico City, right next door, with nothing to show on climate change? That is a very real possibility. Even though the Democrats still have the majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the pervasive mood is that the Republicans have the upper hand. I mean, there are the two majorities AND the PRESIDENT is a Democrat. Let’s make something happen here, folks!?!

And this executive order- ok, so it would be great for the government to reduce its GHG emissions by almost a third in the next 10 years. But it’s a feel good thing. What if Obama doesn’t win again? The whole thing could be buried. And even if he is president again, he’s done in 2016. That’s 4 years before there would be any real accountability to the statement. He can just tout progress or research or reports or committees for the next 7 years and look great. Tell me you are going to cut GHG emissions by 5% by 2012 and you’ll have me at Hello. Now, all you’re getting is a cynical head shake.

And this whole deal about setting an example? Not really. You talk about nuclear power, offshore drilling and clean coal technologies in the state of the union, as a nod to the Right, and turn around and issue a dramatic-sounding executive order about the government? What gives? Put solar panels on the White House. Or a windmill up. Or switch the entire District of Columbia over to corn cups and silverware and you’ll be onto something. You want something dramatic? Do something dramatic. Don’t just make another big-sounding pledge that you won’t be around to be accountable for. Don’t announce a plan with no details that sounds too good to be true.

If you want to have me at Hello, you need to show me the green.

Photo Credit: wallyg (via Flickr under CCL)