As CO2 Levels Rise, Obama Still All Talk And No Action

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President Obama is once again talking out of both sides of his mouth with regard to the need to protect theย environment.

After joining Facebook last week, the President used his very first video post to address the issue of climate change.ย The President said in the video: โ€œNow, we’ve made a lot of progress to cut carbon pollution here at home, and we’re leading the world to take action as well. But weโ€™ve got to do more. In a few weeks, Iโ€™m heading to Paris to meet with world leaders about a global agreement to meet thisย challenge.โ€

While the Presidentโ€™s detractors attacked him for believing something so foolish, the people who have been paying attention to Obamaโ€™s actions in recent years have an entirely different, and legitimate, reason to question the Presidentโ€™s message. Namely, President Obama has done very little to fulfill his lofty promises about tackling climateย change.

Yes, we got a rule from the EPA to limit emissions from coal-fired power plants. Yes, the Keystone XL pipeline has been rejected (for now.) And yes, we finally have a President of the United States that both accepts the science of climate change and believes that we should do something about it. But thatโ€™s roughly where the accomplishmentsย end.

As President Obama was recording his urgent Facebook plea to act on climate change, a new report came out that received far less fanfare than the Presidentโ€™s social media prowess. This new report, from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), tells us that global CO2 emissions hit record highs in 2014, and that 2015 is on track to at least match those sameย levels.

The Hill has more:

According to the study, the worldwide warming effect of greenhouse gases increased 36 percent between 1990 and 2014, something the group blamed on the increase in carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions from humanย activity.

The report comes weeks before a United Nations meeting in Paris focused on crafting a deal to reduce worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. The WMO said that the increase in gases should be a warning sign for worldย leaders.

While the WMO report tallies the total of global emissions, it should be noted that U.S.-centered studies have also revealed that the United Statesโ€™ share of carbon emissions is hitting new highs, asย well.

In 2013, the latest year for which full data is available, U.S. emissions rose by 2.5%, a sharp contrast to the previous 5 years when emissions were actually falling. Most analysts attribute this fall in emissions to the economic recession in the United States and not as a reflection on the policies of theย administration.

This 2014 article from The Guardian goes deeper into theย numbers:

The data also showed a 4.8% increase in the use of energy from coal, and a 10% fall in energy from naturalย gas.

Emissions were still 10% below 2005ย levels.

But the latest figures deepen doubts about whether America will meet its existing commitments for a 17% cut in emissions by 2020 without additional actions, or make the cuts required in the coming decades evenย deeper.

Additionally, the United States has increased domestic oil production and the amount of oil being pumped out of the ground on U.S. soil is expected to reach the highest level in history before Obama leavesย office.

The bottom line is that emissions are rising, dirty energy production is climbing, and the United States is doing too little to solve this problem. When it comes to climate change, an โ€œall of the aboveโ€ attitude towards energy simply doesnโ€™tย work.

If we want to get serious about reducing our emissions then we have to address our fossil fuel addiction. Right now, the United States is acting like a smoker who thinks they wonโ€™t get cancer because they eat a plate of fresh steamed vegetables everyย evening.

You canโ€™t have it bothย ways.

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Farron Cousins is the executive editor of The Trial Lawyer magazine, and his articles have appeared on The Huffington Post, Alternet, and The Progressive Magazine. He has worked for the Ring of Fire radio program with hosts Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Mike Papantonio, and Sam Seder since August 2004, and is currently the co-host and producer of the program. He also currently serves as the co-host of Ring of Fire on Free Speech TV, a daily program airing nightly at 8:30pm eastern. Farron received his bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of West Florida in 2005 and became a member of American MENSA in 2009.ย  Follow him on Twitterย @farronbalanced.

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