Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Obama unveils major new effort to tackle climate change

The Obama administration is taking new steps to phase out the production of a well-known chemical coolant used in refrigerators and air conditioners that has been tied to global warming. The White House confirmed to The Hill that it plans to meet with some of the largest chemical firms and food retailers in the country on Tuesday. They will announce voluntary commitments to target the coolant R-134a, a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC). The commitment would include phasing out similar HFC compounds used in nearly every office, home and automobile in the U.S.Companies pledging new efforts to tackle emissions include Coca-Cola, Target, Red Bull and several air conditioning and refrigeration retailers, according to a fact sheet released by the White House.At Tuesday’s White House meeting, a total of 22 companies and organizations will commit to cut HFC emissions, phase out use of the coolant, or use more climate-friendly refrigerants and systems by 2020. The private sector pledges and executive actions to reduce emissions of HFCs will have a dramatic effect in reducing greenhouse gases, the administration said. HFCs are 10,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide, the White House stressed, making the new reductions equal to taking 15 million cars off the road for 10 years...more

Just political theater for what's to come:



The move comes just weeks before Obama heads to the United Nations climate summit in New York, Sept. 23, to tout the country's commitment to cutting greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change. Obama has made reducing climate change a key part of his second-term agenda, and has focused on administrative actions. The U.N. summit is meant to help build momentum for climate change talks scheduled for 2015 in Paris.

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