Hopes for impact of carbon rules in US are modest
"'I don’t think it’s a revolution because our carbon emissions are already going down because of cheap natural gas,' said Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy and Economic Research, a consultancy. 'It’s not Obama’s war on coal. It’s reality’s war on coal. Natural gas turns out to be better than coal in the marketplace.'"
Some – especially those in the fossil fuel industry – think it will increase the cost of electricity and could eliminate more jobs than it saves.
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"As more wind turbines and solar panels are installed, jobs in fabrication, construction and sales will shift there. Ditto for new natural-gas-fired power plants, which could lead to more drilling jobs in gas-rich states from Texas to Colorado to Pennsylvania."
Others, even those who have railed against environmental protections in the past, understand that when taken in total, the benefits far outweigh the costs.
Obama acts to curb carbon
"The apocalyptic predictions have been made before, without coming true. In 1990, when Congress approved new measures to reduce acid rain, critics said they would cause electricity rates to climb without doing any environmental good. (I was one of them.) Some anticipated a 'clean air recession'.
In fact, electricity rates have declined in inflation-adjusted terms since the restrictions were adopted, and the favorable results — including lives saved — have been far greater than expected. The economy boomed in the 1990s. A 2003 report by the Bush administration's Office of Management and Budget found that the benefits of these and related air pollution rules were at least 11 times more than the costs."
And some see how the effects of carbon pollution go beyond economics, human health, or even the availability of energy…down to the issues of basic human and civil rights.
Climate change is a civil rights issue
"These vulnerable children end up missing more school because the air they breathe makes them sick. Their parents miss work they can’t afford to lose.
Utility companies have kept these plants running decades longer than they were designed to last because air pollution laws had loopholes that made it cheaper to keep old plants going than to replace them with newer, cleaner power plants. Profits were more important than people."
Meanwhile, others want you to know how far you could reduce the impact your lifestyle has on the quality of life of others.
Tiny-home-in-a-box will turn 200 sq. ft. into a sophisticated dining room AND trashy nightclub
"The CityHome was designed to be an all-in-one furniture module for tiny spaces: It can transform a room from a bedroom to an office to a kitchen, for example, with a literal wave of the hand. This is the future!"
Happy Friday!
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| JIM URQUHART / REUTERS |
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