The First One Hundred Days: Ten Things President-Elect Obama Should Do to Confront the Climate Crisis

Abstract:     
Climate change poses grave threats to human civilization on earth. As a candidate, President-elect Obama promised to reverse the head-in-the-sand policies of his predecessor and take swift and effective action to address the gathering menace of climate change. This paper briefly outlines ten steps that the new president can take under existing authority to begin reducing greenhouse gases and to lay the foundation for the larger actions that will be required to stabilize the climate in time to avoid the worst consequences that scientists have predicted if bold action is not forthcoming. This is a global problem requiring the cooperation of both developed and developing countries. Time is short and there is a critical need for the United States to reclaim its leadership role, but first it must get its own house in order.

Keywords: climate change, energy policy, fuel economy standards, agricultural policy,climate risk disclosures

JEL Classifications: K32

Accepted Paper Series