Despite lip service about climate change, one President Obama’s first actions after his reelection was to keep US airlines from complying with European climate pollution laws. Writes Philip Bump in Grist:
“Now that Obama has won reelection, he is freed up to follow his heart, moving forward forcefully in the fight against climate change. Put a piece of legislation in front of him, Congress, and he’ll sign it. Even, say, a piece of legislation exempting U.S. airlines from an E.U. carbon dioxide reduction plan. The E.U. plan (which has already been postponed anyway) would have required that any airline doing business in its member countries participate in a cap-and-trade system. The U.S. Senate leapt into action, initiating a bill that would exempt U.S. airlines from the mandate (claiming, ludicrously, that it was because it sought more sweeping carbon reduction schemes). The House followed suit. And now, our president has signed it.”
Read more:
- “Obama signs bill exempting U.S. airlines from E.U. carbon plan” (Grist)
- “Obama fails first climate test by rejecting EU aviation carbon regime” (The Guardian)
Image credit: Quit Coal
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