President Obama is making a last-ditch push to protect his clean energy legacy as Jan. 20 looms, calling the advancements in solar and wind “irreversible” no matter what policy changes may occur under the incoming Trump administration.
“Despite the policy uncertainty that we face, I remain convinced that no country is better suited to confront the climate challenge and reap the economic benefits of a low-carbon future than the United States,” Obama said in an opinion article published in the journal Science on Monday.
“The United States is showing that [greenhouse gas] mitigation need not conflict with economic growth. Rather, it can boost efficiency, productivity and innovation,” he added, saying that “businesses are coming to the conclusion that reducing emissions is not just good for the environment — it can also boost bottom lines, cut costs for consumers and deliver returns for shareholders.”
The Obama administration continually touts the doubling of renewable energy that has occurred under the president’s two terms in office. Although the price of wind and solar has been coming down, which has made them more competitive with fossil fuels, they make up a very small fraction of the U.S. electricity supply.
The oil and natural gas industry argues that although it does not oppose renewable energy, the recent greenhouse gas reductions are more the product of a transition from coal to cleaner-burning natural gas power plants. Many scientists blame greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels for driving manmade climate change.
Natural gas now provides the bulk of the U.S.’s electric power supply, overtaking coal. The drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has kept the price of natural gas low and supply high, making it an increasingly reliable and economic fuel for power plants.
Nevertheless, solar and wind are being added at greater rates than other electric generation and are credited with emission reductions alongside rising natural gas use, according to federal data.
President-elect Trump said he will reverse many of the rules established or proposed by the Obama administration that would curtail fossil fuel development, especially coal. Critics argue that even with the rules being reversed, market trends and economics are really dictating the fuel mix.
Trump has said in his first 100 days in office he will seek to overturn regulations that have been blamed for slowing coal growth and putting miners out of work, including the centerpiece of President Obama’s climate change agenda called the Clean Power Plan.
The Obama administration is using the last two weeks in office to push clean energy, with Obama’s opinion piece Monday and Secretary of State John Kerry giving a speech on the growth of renewable energy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
