In their report, EPA announced that these gases “are the primary driver of climate change.” This week, Copenhagen is hosting an international climate summit which has the primary task to persuade China and India to lower their emissions growth. President Obama will make an appearance here of December 18.
“The president's appearance in Copenhagen will carry even more weight because it shows that America is taking this issue very seriously and is moving forward,” said Barbara Boxer, the California Democrat who chairs the Senate Environment Committee.
As with every decision, there are still people who don’t agree that new regulations necessary. “The EPA is paving the way to begin regulating carbon emissions across the board, including large stationary sources such as manufacturing plants, hospitals and libraries,” said the National Association for Manufacturers.
Some think that things are going in the right direction, though. “For seven long years, there was a debate over whether states or the federal government should regulate autos,” said Dave McCurdy, head of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. “President Obama's announcement in May ended that old debate by starting a federal rule-making.”
"In less than 11 months we have done more to promote clean energy and prevent climate change than happened in the last eight years," said Lisa Jackson, director of EPA. “In taking action now and recognising this threat now, we join the hundreds of other countries, thousands of leading scientists, tens of thousands of innovators, entrepreneurs and private companies, millions of Americans and billions of global citizens who have seen the overwhelming evidence and called for action on climate change,” she added.
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