Just a few weeks ago, forty-seven Republican Senators took it upon themselves to send a letter to the Iranian government stating that any agreement they make with President Obama regarding nuclear programs that does not have legislative approval could be easily revoked by the time the next president is in office, which the Republicans hope is one of their own. This tendency to interfere with foreign affairs poses serious problems for future international treaties surrounding greenhouse gas emissions; if Senators threaten to back the United States out of a nuclear deal then how do other nations know the United States won’t back out of a harmless international agreement to lower carbon emissions?
Cutting it close to the end of his second term, Barack Obama wants to leave his position knowing the United States is making strides towards effective environmental policy. According to an article in Cognoscenti, "the entire world looks to the United States for guidance. However, we are perceived as sorely lacking on climate protection." (6) Climate change is one of the few areas where Obama can work towards his agenda with the power of executive authority alone, so now is the time for him to make an impact and set the stage for his successors regarding greenhouse gas emission reductions. (4)
For more information about the executive order President Obama signed on March, 19th click here. Do you think the Republicans took things too far by sending the letter to the Iranian government? Click here to see how you compare to other Americans. Click here to see an interesting interview with President Obama regarding the environment.
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Sources:
1. "Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data." United States Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed on March 23, 2015. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/global.html
2. "Climate Change." United States Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed on March 23, 2015. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/
3. Calamur, Krishnadev. "Obama Orders Reduction In Government's Greenhouse Gas Emissions." NPR. 19 March 2015. Accessed on March 25, 2015. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/03/19/394082460/obama-orders-reduction-in-governments-greenhouse-gas-emissions
4. Dovere, Edward-Isaac. "Barack Obama's green gambit." Politico. 18 March 2015. Accessed on March 22, 2015. http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/barack-obamas-green-gambit-116161.html
5. "The 2015 international agreement." European Commission. 6 March 2015. Accessed on March 21, 2015. http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/international/negotiations/future/index_en.htm
6. Wirth, David. "This Time Is Different: Obama's Climate Change Opportunity." Cognoscenti. 25 March 2015. Accessed on March 25, 2015. https://cognoscenti.wbur.org/2015/03/25/greenhouse-gas-david-wirth