Obama: klimaatverandering grootste bedreiging voor toekomst

22 januari 2015 – Klimaatverandering is de grootste bedreiging voor de toekomstige generaties. Dat zei de Amerikaanse president Obama in zijn jaarlijkse toespraak, de State of the Union. Hij is vastbesloten, onder leiderschap van de VS, internationale actie te stimuleren.

Obama verwees naar de afspraken die de VS en China maakten over vermindering van de CO2-uitstoot. Hij sprak zijn hoop uit dat andere landen dit jaar tot een akkoord komen over maatregelen tegen klimaatverandering.

Daarnaast benadrukte Obama het belang van wind- en zonne-energie voor de VS. Hij ging ook in op de werkgelegenheid die de ontwikkeling van schone energie met zich meebrengt.

Uit de de toespraak van Obama
‘(…) 2014 was the planet’s warmest year on record.  Now, one year doesn’t make a trend, but this does:  14 of the 15 warmest years on record have all fallen in the first 15 years of this century.
I’ve heard some folks try to dodge the evidence by saying they’re not scientists; that we don’t have enough information to act.  Well, I’m not a scientist, either.  But you know what, I know a lot of really good scientists at NASA, and at NOAA, and at our major universities.  And the best scientists in the world are all telling us that our activities are changing the climate, and if we don’t act forcefully, we’ll continue to see rising oceans, longer, hotter heat waves, dangerous droughts and floods, and massive disruptions that can trigger greater migration and conflict and hunger around the globe.  The Pentagon says that climate change poses immediate risks to our national security.  We should act like it.  (Applause.)

And that’s why, over the past six years, we’ve done more than ever to combat climate change, from the way we produce energy to the way we use it.  That’s why we’ve set aside more public lands and waters than any administration in history.  And that’s why I will not let this Congress endanger the health of our children by turning back the clock on our efforts.  I am determined to make sure that American leadership drives international action.  (Applause.)

In Beijing, we made a historic announcement:  The United States will double the pace at which we cut carbon pollution.  And China committed, for the first time, to limiting their emissions.  And because the world’s two largest economies came together, other nations are now stepping up, and offering hope that this year the world will finally reach an agreement to protect the one planet we’ve got. (…)’

Bronnen
UNFCCC, 21 januari 2015: President Obama:Climate Change Greatest Threat to Future Generations
The White House, 21 januari 2015: Remarks by the President in State of the Union Address
The Climate Group, 21 januari 2015: President Obama stresses America’s commitment to tackle climate change in State of the Union