Michael Franti: Time for Passion and [Stupidity] on Climate Change

One of the most important issues of our time surely has to be climate change. In case you haven't noticed wherever you are in the world, the weather is changing. In some places, summers are hotter and longer. In other places winters are longer and colder.

Op-Ed Contributors - Obama’s Power Plays - NYTimes.com

Third and most important, President Obama can slash emissions from power plants and cars. For power plants, this will mean demanding more efficiency and, in many places, switching from coal to natural gas. The Clean Air Act authorizes the president to order that the 100 new coal-fired power plants on the drawing board be built to operate with cleaner natural gas. He can also order existing coal plants to switch to high-efficiency natural gas technology — and thus cut their emissions by as much as two-thirds. As for cars, the administration can stand up to automakers by following California’s example and requiring a 30 percent reduction in tailpipe emissions by 2016.

By taking these steps as soon as possible, President Obama can show the largest polluters — the auto industry and utility companies — that he is serious, and let scientists and engineers know that their work is urgent. Why wait for Congress?

Daniel F. Becker is the director of the safe climate campaign of the Center for Auto Safety. James Gerstenzang is a former reporter for The Los Angeles Times.