Less green than he promised

by Peter Custers

Just how far do the choices President Obama has made so far represent a shift towards a Green New Deal? There is no doubt that some of the measures he champions do reflect an important change of thought. George Bush, throughout his tenure, stubbornly resisted pressures to take steps meant to reduce greenhouse gases, but from the start Obama has indicated that he agrees that US CO2 emissions have to be decreased. His target is to double the production of renewable energy within three years, and his annual budget request submitted to the US Congress in February incorporated the proposal of a tax on CO2 emissions, as cherished by the economist Jeffrey Sachs and climatologist James Hansen.