Comments on: Obama’s first State of the Union – a disappointment from the climate perspective http://www.climaticoanalysis.org/post/obamas-first-state-of-the-union-a-disappointment-from-the-climate-perspective/ Independent analysis of climate policy Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:01:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Paige Andrews http://www.climaticoanalysis.org/post/obamas-first-state-of-the-union-a-disappointment-from-the-climate-perspective/#comment-11669 Paige Andrews Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:29:05 +0000 http://www.climaticoanalysis.org/?p=4699#comment-11669 While I agree that Obama did not tackle the climate change issues head on in his State of the Union Address, I have to say that the address itself was not meant to take on such a task. The purpose of the address was meant to appeal to detractors and fans alike to try to bring confidence back into the party and the direction of his administration. Following the battle over health care in the Senate, I don't think that climate change has been at the forefront of the public's mind, so critiquing it's absence from the State of the Union address is not where the focus should lie. Rather, perhaps we should see where the American public opinion lies, try to gauge their feelings, and find a way to move toward the best scenario possible within these conditions. Perhaps, discussion of jobs and job creation is exactly what the administration was lacking when discussing the climate change debate. Sure, it is not the focus of the UNFCCC debates and strays from the seriousness of the issue and those most affected by greenhouse emissions. However, whatever can pull the American support (who is leaning more and more to the right following the health care debates and media criticism of science no matter how off the mark it is) is, in fact, crucial to the ultimate success of climate legislation in the United States. Rather than criticize the lack of discussion of renewable energy and climate legislation in Obama's discussion, I think we should take pride in Obama's talk of common sense and overwhelming scientific consensus on the issue of climate change. He spoke of the US's need to tackle the economic issue of climate change as a matter of being a market leader rather than a laggard. While this steeps in simplistic bottom-line matters, it is perhaps the most effective way to help motivate both Republicans and Democrats on passing the necessary legislation to lower our emissions and ultimately become the leader we need to be to bring emissions to the goal of 350ppm. People relate to the need for job creation and suffer from cognitive dissonance of their burning of fossil fuels. If you need to change the way that you speak of an issue to bring the necessary changes, than so be it. I was proud to hear Obama speak and it made me shout "Yes! Finally!" when he spoke of the need for common sense in the matter of climate change legislation. For this I am proud. While I agree that Obama did not tackle the climate change issues head on in his State of the Union Address, I have to say that the address itself was not meant to take on such a task. The purpose of the address was meant to appeal to detractors and fans alike to try to bring confidence back into the party and the direction of his administration.

Following the battle over health care in the Senate, I don’t think that climate change has been at the forefront of the public’s mind, so critiquing it’s absence from the State of the Union address is not where the focus should lie. Rather, perhaps we should see where the American public opinion lies, try to gauge their feelings, and find a way to move toward the best scenario possible within these conditions.

Perhaps, discussion of jobs and job creation is exactly what the administration was lacking when discussing the climate change debate. Sure, it is not the focus of the UNFCCC debates and strays from the seriousness of the issue and those most affected by greenhouse emissions. However, whatever can pull the American support (who is leaning more and more to the right following the health care debates and media criticism of science no matter how off the mark it is) is, in fact, crucial to the ultimate success of climate legislation in the United States.

Rather than criticize the lack of discussion of renewable energy and climate legislation in Obama’s discussion, I think we should take pride in Obama’s talk of common sense and overwhelming scientific consensus on the issue of climate change. He spoke of the US’s need to tackle the economic issue of climate change as a matter of being a market leader rather than a laggard. While this steeps in simplistic bottom-line matters, it is perhaps the most effective way to help motivate both Republicans and Democrats on passing the necessary legislation to lower our emissions and ultimately become the leader we need to be to bring emissions to the goal of 350ppm.

People relate to the need for job creation and suffer from cognitive dissonance of their burning of fossil fuels. If you need to change the way that you speak of an issue to bring the necessary changes, than so be it. I was proud to hear Obama speak and it made me shout “Yes! Finally!” when he spoke of the need for common sense in the matter of climate change legislation. For this I am proud.

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