Obama Needs to Step Up Climate Change Plan

Earthjustice evaluates President Obama's 2013 Climate Action Plan (CAP), noting its focus on coal-fired power plants and energy efficiency but criticizing its 'overly soft approach' to methane emissions and the omission of carbon limits for oil refineries, shipping, and aviation.

• The Climate Action Plan (CAP) focuses on three primary objectives: reducing domestic carbon pollution, preparing the United States for climate change impacts, and increasing U.S. leadership in international efforts to lower global carbon pollution.
• A central element of the CAP is the commitment to establish the first carbon pollution limits for power plants within two years, as these facilities account for nearly 40% of emissions in the U.S.
• The plan aims to achieve a cumulative reduction of at least 3 billion metric tons of carbon pollution by 2030 by implementing energy efficiency standards for federal buildings and appliances.
• Earthjustice identifies several weaknesses in the CAP, including a lack of clear emissions limits for methane—which is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide—and a failure to address emissions from aviation, shipping, and oil refineries.
• The CAP is criticized for not requiring utilities to integrate renewable energy into the electricity grid and for potentially promoting a global natural gas market, which Earthjustice argues is undermined by leakage during production and transport.

APA

Earthjustice (2013). Obama Needs to Step Up Climate Change Plan. https://earthjustice.org/article/obama-needs-to-step-up-climate-change-plan

Chicago

Earthjustice. Obama Needs to Step Up Climate Change Plan. 2013. https://earthjustice.org/article/obama-needs-to-step-up-climate-change-plan.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Earthjustice |title=Obama Needs to Step Up Climate Change Plan |date=19 July 2013 |url=https://earthjustice.org/article/obama-needs-to-step-up-climate-change-plan |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{earthjustice2013obama, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Obama Needs to Step Up Climate Change Plan}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2013}, month = jul, url = {https://earthjustice.org/article/obama-needs-to-step-up-climate-change-plan}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }