In the latest step of a saga that dates back to the Bush administration, the EPA issued its final rules on how the US will cut back on the carbon emissions created by electricity generation. During the long struggle over their formulation, however, President Obama decided to make climate change a central focus of his years in office. As a result, he was present to introduce the rules, portraying them as part of a large package of efforts meant to tackle climate change. Borrowing language that his political opponents frequently use when confronted with the topic of climate change, Obama started with an observation. "Now, not everyone here is a scientist, but some of you are among the best scientists in the world," he said. He went on to launch into a large number of figures about the changing climate, and he made the argument that these changes have severe implications for our health, economy, and national security. After saying climate change is "the…
↧