He’s Still Moving

This could mark the end of America’s role as bad boy on the global environmental stage. With Obama’s announcement that he intends to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants, the economic superpower and principal destroyer of the environment is rejoining the global environmental policy camp.

Whether or not Obama succeeds with this brave step in his own country and the environmental negotiations turn out to be successful, remains to be seen. At any rate, he has given us cause for at least a bit of hope.

The details are still hazy, but even if the power plant emissions are cut by a third and automobile mileage standards are toughened, the American environmental goals are still laughable when compared to European figures. But the political situation in the United States is such that when it comes to climate change, the issue has been politicized to the nth degree.

For the first time, a U.S. president is taking climate change so seriously that he is willing to spend political capital on it. He is taking an enormous risk: Industry is already screaming in protest and lobbyists have begun working on their complaints and counter-campaigns; Republicans are already sharpening their knives.

Also, many Democrats are unenthusiastic about his policies for fear they may pay dearly for them come election day. Obama, on the other hand, doesn’t have to worry about being re-elected. He has long since understood the seriousness of the environmental situation, and has decided he wants to go into the history books as a green president for reasons other than first lady Michelle’s vegetable garden.

Even if Obama’s proposals are watered down by the lobbyists and the courts, the important thing is the political message being sent: The age of coal is drawing to a close. This is a message everyone, U.S. fans and critics alike, need to get into their thick skulls—from the coal-loving liberals in Brandenburg up to Chancellor Merkel, who doesn’t plan to attend the environmental summit in New York.