Obama on Climate Control: you're hot then you're cold you're yes then you're no

Joel Pett cartoon for USA Today

      When then Senator Barak Obama first ran for president leading up to the '08 election, his platform held many environmental promises towards creating a sustainable future for America. Unfortunately, during Obama's first term he disappointed environmentalist when he did not address global climate change as vigorously as they had hoped. Environmentalist are once again looking for change during Obama's second term in office, and although there is still skepticism from his shortcomings last term, many are hopeful now that the president seems to be more prudent this time around. Salon reports that Obama's inaugural speech brought many environmentalists back on board. Citing Andrew Hoffman: "He finally had the courage to acknowledge the words 'climate change,'" as opposed to the past when the president seemed to beat around the bush with using terms such as "green jobs or clean energy to describe energy policy, instead of the more politically charged term." 

      Similarly, the article talks about Obama's decision on the Keystone XL pipeline, a pipeline purposed to run from Canada to Texas, and how crucial it is for environmentalists view of Obama. If he does reject the pipeline, environmentalists will believe that he is ready keep his promises from his inaugural speech and make global climate change a priority this time around. 

       I find the Salon article to be important because it raises awareness about climate change as an issue. This is important because striving for a more sustainable planet, which is still a taboo topic, should be something that the world is more informed on because as Obama states: "Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it."

For more information on our nation's environmental impact watch The Story of Stuff: