Just days after President Barack Obama urged United Nations members to join the fight against climate change, his mission to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the United States has been dealt a serious blow.
The
Energy Information Administration issued a report this month revealing that levels of carbon emissions from fossil fuels rose 2.4 percent in 2013 and are expected to increase another 1.3 percent this year, according to The Washington Times.
Obama has launched an aggressive clean energy agenda since he took office and made large investments in renewable energy, solar power and electric vehicles.
But the energy-related carbon dioxide emissions are creeping up again for the first time since 2010 after a period of noticeable declines dating back to the last year of George W. Bush’s presidency, the Times said.
However, the EIA report also estimated that there could be a small decrease of about 0.6 in carbon emissions next year.
In an attempt to reduce global warming, Obama has directed by executive order that the nation’s power plants must
cut greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030.
The new regulations will encourage the use of renewable energy sources, such as natural gas, and energy efficient technologies, alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power, as well as a cap-and-trade system, which lets companies emitting pollutants buy and sell greenhouse gas emission allowances.