Presidential Climate Action Plan: The Summary

8/14/2019 Presidential Climate Action Plan: The Summary

1/12

Presidential climate action Project

Security

Opportunity

Stewardship


2/12

I recognize the right and duty

of this generation to develop and use

the natural resources of our land;

but I do not recognize the right to waste

them, or to rob, by wasteful use,

the generation that comes after us.

- President Theodore Roosevelt

Climate action

is a powerulengine or new

industries andjobs, and the

next challengeor Americas

genius.


3/12

or the rst time in human history, America and the international

community ace a truly planetary challenge: global warming.

Paradoxically, the challenge also represents one o humanitys

greatest opportunities. The need to transorm how we power the

worlds economies opens vast new global markets or energy,

technologies and services. As the worlds leader in innovation,

and as the nation whose citizens generate more greenhouse gas

emissions than any other, the United States has both a moral

and an economic imperative to seize this moment.

The bold steps America must take to prevent the worst consequences

o global warming oer an array o benets. Climate action is a

powerul engine or new industries and jobs, a way orward on the

tough issues o global security and terrorism, the next challenge orAmericas genius, the chance or an unprecedented public-private

partnership, the catalyst or Americas re-emergence as a constructive

leader in the international community, and an opportunity to give our

children the legacy o a sae, prosperous and healthy uture.

Dealing with climate change requires strong, visionary leadership

at every level o American society. We must begin to demand that

vision rom one another. It is necessary to transorm the waydeveloped nations sustain their prosperity and developing nations

achieve it. This will require an urgent new level o collaboration

among nations and all sectors and political philosophies within the

United States a level we have rarely, i ever, seen. Because the

challenge is so vast, the leaders who we elect to help us meet this

challenge including the next President o the United States

will be the most important in our history.

Dealing withclimate change

requires strong,visionary

leadership atevery level

o Americansociety.

F


4/12

The Presidential

Climate Action Plan...presents a specic and

comprehensive blueprint

or bold leadership,rooted in current

climate science and

designed to igniteinnovation at every level

o the American

economy.


5/12

The Presidential Climate Action Plan

From the moment the 44th President o the United States takes oce

on January 20, 2009, the American people, and the world community

will watch closely or indications o how our new leader addresses

global climate change.

The signal should be clear: The President will take immediate and

decisive action to mobilize the ederal government and the nation

to build a new, low-carbon economy to meet the emerging realities

o the 21st Century.

Toward that goal, the Presidential Climate Action Project has

developed a non-partisan plan or presidential leadership within

100 days o Inauguration. The Presidential Climate Action Plan,

or PCAP, presents a specic and comprehensive blueprint or bold

leadership, rooted in climate science and designed to ignite

innovation at every level o the American economy.

The University o Colorado Denver has acilitated the development

o the plan with the advice o a prestigious board o top climate science

and policy experts. PCAP incorporates many o the best ideas put

orward by the presidential candidates, universities, non-governmental

organizations and others, as well as new ideas based on original

analyses commissioned by the project. PCAPs comprehensive plan

encourages a more creative level o public discussion about how the

nation will address global warming. A nal plan will be issued to

the candidates in September 2008, refecting new policy ideas, science,

research and ederal action that emerge during the campaign.

PCAP is rooted in the conviction that we must build an innovative,environmentally-sound economy or the new realities o the 21st

Century. That economy must achieve three goals or this and uture

generations: security, opportunity and stewardship.

PcaP: The most specic and comprehensive action plan

so ar presented to the American public, and the most

detailed roadmap yet or America to assert constructive

leadership in international policy and markets.


6/12

Comparison oClimate Change Targets

in Legislation Proposed by the

110th Congress and by the

Presidential Climate Action Plan,

1990-2050

12,000

10,000

8,000

6,000

4,000

2,000

0

MillionmetrictonsCO2e

20502040203020202010

1990

Business as usual

Historical emissions

Lieberman-McCainOlver-Gilchrest

Kerry-Snowe

Stabilize 450-550 ppm

Sanders-Boxer, WaxmanEmissions with PCAP Proposals

Lieberman-Warnerdraft outline

Bingaman-Specterconditional target

Bingaman-Specterrange with price cap (projected only through 2030)

Bingaman-Specterno price cap


7/12

Securitystabilizing the climate, the economy

and the international community

To achieve true security, the people o all nations must achieve a decent

and sustainable standard o living. This cannot be done with the same

carbon-intensive energy resources that powered the industrial era.

Those resources are moving us to the threshold o dangerous climate

change. Further, we cannot be secure in a uture o global resource

conficts as developed and developing nations compete or the same

nite ossil uels. We must make a rapid transition to unprecedented

levels o energy eciency and to low-carbon, renewable resources.

PCAPs recommendations include:

To stop subsidizing war, conict and terrorism, cut Americas

oil consumption in hal by 2020 and eliminate all petroleum

imports by 2040 without increasing domestic production.

Create an international Organization o Petroleum Importing

Countries (OPIC) to collaborate on reducing international

dependence on oil.

Redirect ederal subsidies or ossil uels to dramatically

increase our investment in low-carbon energy technologies,

designs and products.

Conduct a national security analysis on the implications o

increasing Americas reliance on imported resources such

as natural gas and uranium, and the homeland security

implications o constructing additional LNG import acilities

and nuclear power plants.

Seek the declaration o the Persian Gul as a zone o

international interest protected by a multi-national peace-

keeping orce that guarantees the ree ow o oil as OPIC

nations reduce dependence on petroleum imports.

1.

...we cannot besecure in a uture

o global resource

conficts as

developed and

developing nations

compete or

the same niteossil uels.


8/12

...make

Americas armsand rural

communities ourrich new energy belt

or renewable

resources.


9/12

Opportunityunleashing the marketPlace

Millions o new jobs will be created to stabilize the climate, sequester

carbon and adapt to climate changes already underway. The ederal

government should align, synchronize and create incentives, bust barriersand help correct price signals in the marketplace. It also should launch

new public-private partnerships to build a robust low-carbon economy.

PCAPs recommendations include:

Set lie-cycle perormance standards or new power plants,

buildings and vehicles the principal sources o greenhouse

gas emissions. Starting immediately, new power plants must

be carbon-neutral. By 2020, Americas passenger vehicles

must average at least 50 miles per gallon. By 2030, all newbuildings must be carbon-neutral.

Establish an oil price oor o $45 per barrel to encourage and

protect capital investments in renewable energy.

Oer $1 billion in incentive awards or breakthrough technologies.

Create 40 million new jobs in the energy efciency and renewable

energy industries by 2030.

Provide $1 billion annually to states and localities to implementtheir own aggressive plans or energy efciency, renewable

energy and climate action, including rate reorms that allow

utilities to proft rom energy efciency.

Replace the U.S. Department o Energy with a small dynamic

agency that merges DOEs technology programs with the U.S.

Small Business Administration to create the new businesses

and jobs that will transorm our energy economy.

Redirect ederal rural development programs, including theRural Utility Service loan program, to invest in the technologies

and inrastructure that will make Americas arms and rural

communities the rich new rontier or renewable resources.

2.

The green economy has the power

to deliver new sources of work,

wealth and health to low-income

people - while honoring the Earth.

- Van Jones, Ella Baker

Center for Human Rights


10/12

I the presidential election

were held today, how

important would acandidates position on

global warming be in

your decision aboutwhom to vote or?

.50

.25

0ExtremelyImportant

VeryImportant

SomewhatImportant

Not ThatImportant

Percen

tofResponses

.16

.24.25

.35

From a survey o 1,011 adults conducted July 23-26, 2007 by Yale University, Gallup and the Clear Vision Institute.

At the 95% condence level, the margin o sampling error is 4 percentage points.


11/12

Stewardshipmarrying ecology, economy and equity

Global warming proves that economic and ecological health are

interdependent. The impacts o climate change on natural systems and

their services aect not only our species but all species; not only this

generation but those that will ollow. These adverse impacts will hit

some nations, industries, communities and amilies more than others.

For these reasons, stewardship in other words, caring or natural systems,

the disadvantaged and uture generations orms an essential component

o the 21st Century economy. PCAPs recommendations include:

Reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 3% each year until

2020 and 2% annually thereater to achieve a 30% reduction

by 2020 and a 90% reduction by mid-century.

Engage the international community to set similar goals or

the worlds fve largest developing nations, starting in 2020.

Implement a cap-and-auction system involving the 2,000

frst providers o ossil uels to achieve carbon pricing in

100% o the economy.

To guarantee early reductions in greenhouse gas emissions

while the cap-and-auction regime is taking hold, direct EPA

to regulate greenhouse gas emissions immediately under

the Clean Air Act.

Champion a 10-old increase in the Weatherization Assistance

Program or low-income amilies.

Create a Green Jobs Corps to train 35,000 underprivileged

youth each year in the green trades essential to the new

energy economy.

Make the nations largest energy user the ederalgovernment carbon neutral by 2050.

Propose omnibus legislation to reshape ederal programs and

update current environmental laws to address global warming

and climate adaptation.

Reorm U.S. lending and development

programs to stop unding carbon-

intensive projects overseas and

champion changes in internationaltrade agreements to remove the

barriers to climate action.

3.

The impacts

o climate change

on natural systems

and their services

aect not only

our species but all

species; not only

this generation

but also those thatwill ollow.


12/12

Presidential Climate Action Project



University o Colorado School o Public Aairs

Campus Box 133, PO Box 173364

Denver, CO 80217-3364

Bill Becker, Executive Director

[email protected]

www.climateactionproject.com

The Presidential Climate Action Plan will present

these and many other policy recommendations to the

Presidential candidates and their stas during the

2008 election. We invite your voice and your support.

Join the Dialogue

To access more complete explanations o climate

issues and solutions, visit the PCAP web site at

www.climateactionproject.com

The PCAP team encourages your comments and

ideas or climate leadership. Please submit them to

[email protected]

Carbon Osets or this

Documents

Presidential Climate Action Plan: The Summary