McCarthy outlines GHG policy rationale

During an event on Sept. 25 at Resources for the Future, an environmental and natural resources research organization, Gina McCarthy, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, spelled out the Obama administration’s rationale behind its greenhouse gas policies, including the recent proposed rule to limit carbon dioxide emissions from U.S. power stations.

Likening the war against carbon dioxide emissions to an international effort 40 years ago to ban the use of chemicals that were damaging the Earth’s protective ozone layer, McCarthy said that the United States needs to be a leader in facing the threats that climate change poses.

And far from undermining the nation’s prosperity, the battle against climate change can lead to both a healthy environment and a healthy economy, McCarthy said. In fact, the most expensive thing that people can do is do nothing, she said.

“We no longer project tomorrow’s impacts, we tally up today’s damages,” McCarthy said. “This decade was the hottest on record. The streets of Miami flood on sunny days. Ocean acidification threatens Washington State’s oyster industry. Across the country, people grapple with floods, fires and severe weather. Today, California is facing historic drought, with projected job losses of more than 17,000.”

The warming climate creates hugely expensive natural disasters. And as seas rise, so do insurance premiums, medical bills and food prices, McCarthy said.

But rather than just taking defensive measures against climate change, it is possible to view climate action as an opportunity, taking actions such as modernizing the power industry and building a low-carbon economy. Fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks are cutting pollution and reducing family motoring costs while also creating a resurgence in the auto industry. And emerging technologies such as wind and solar power are creating thousands of jobs, McCarthy said.

Although climate change is a global problem needing a global solution, the United States can set the pace for progress, McCarthy said.

“When the United States leads, other nations follow,” she said.

- Alan Bailey