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The Obama Administration has announced an ambitious plan to introduce a new Environmental Protection Agency regulation. It is expected to encourage the US power plants to cut carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2030. This is one of the most significant actions ever taken by the US government aimed at fighting against climate change.

 

Power plants currently account for about 40 percent of US emissions of carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. The proposed cuts are a politically sensitive issue, since coal, a major polluter, remains an important fuel in the country. The Voice of Russia talked to Nick Bond, climate scientist with the University of Washington.

What do you make of the plan put forward by the Obama Administration. It’s widely referred to as ambitious, but is it realistic?

First of all, I'm a climate scientist, not a power plant operator and I cannot say how difficult it will be to achieve those goals. But I do know that the American industry has shown the ability to be innovative and they have managed to limit the sulfur dioxide emissions that caused so much acid rain in the past. CO2 is a tough problem and there will be added costs. It is my understanding that it can be done and 30% seems like a reasonable figure.

According to the plan, the task is to dramatically cut carbon emissions by 2030. Do you think this task is feasible?

Personally speaking, I think it is. If costs were no object, it would not be a problem. But of course the costs do matter and I know that there is an active research on how to improve the efficiency of power plants, how to grab the carbon before it goes out the stack and, ultimately, sequester it.

To me, it makes sense that the plan is not to force these innovations to be made overnight. By 2030, it gives a sufficient time to implement the necessary changes.

Is it possible to fight climate change in a country which has failed to ratify the Kyoto protocol?

Certainly, there are groups in the US that are opposed to dealing with the greenhouse gas emissions and the problem of climate change. And these include those with the vested interests, namely the coal industry and the power plant operators. And also, those with more philosophical opposition to governmental regulations, namely the Tea Party and their cohorts.

My understanding is that a large majority of the US population actually believe that climate change is happening and constitutes a real problem. The priority there among the population is rather low, since the problems are so distant in the future.

Personally, I think it is possible to make real progress on this issue from a political point of view. And in my mind, perhaps, this can best be accomplished by appealing more to people’s emotions and how we want to be remembered by the future generations, rather than kind of more logical sorts of means.

 

 

 

Source: http://voiceofrussia.com/