protecting the air we breathe from harmfulpollution. and that law passed the senate unanimously. think about that -- it passedthe senate unanimously. it passed the house of representatives 375 to 1. i don't knowwho the one guy was -- i haven't looked that up. (laughter.) you can barely get that manyvotes to name a post office these days. (laughter.) it was signed into law by a republican president.it was later strengthened by another republican president. this used to be a bipartisan issue. six years ago, the supreme court ruled thatgreenhouse gases are pollutants covered by that same clean air act. (applause.) and theyrequired the environmental protection agency, the epa, to determine whether they're a threatto our health and welfare. in 2009, the epa
determined that they are a threat to bothour health and our welfare in many different ways -- from dirtier air to more common heatwaves -- and, therefore, subject to regulation. today, about 40 percent of america's carbonpollution comes from our power plants. but here's the thing: right now, there are nofederal limits to the amount of carbon pollution that those plants can pump into our air. none.zero. we limit the amount of toxic chemicals like mercury and sulfur and arsenic in ourair or our water, but power plants can still dump unlimited amounts of carbon pollutioninto the air for free. that's not right, that's not safe, and it needs to stop. (applause.) so today, for the sake of our children, andthe health and safety of all americans, i'm
directing the environmental protection agencyto put an end to the limitless dumping of carbon pollution from our power plants, andcomplete new pollution standards for both new and existing power plants. (applause.) i'm also directing the epa to develop thesestandards in an open and transparent way, to provide flexibility to different stateswith different needs, and build on the leadership that many states, and cities, and companieshave already shown. in fact, many power companies have already begun modernizing their plants,and creating new jobs in the process. others have shifted to burning cleaner natural gasinstead of dirtier fuel sources. nearly a dozen states have already implementedor are implementing their own market-based
programs to reduce carbon pollution. morethan 25 have set energy efficiency targets. more than 35 have set renewable energy targets.over 1,000 mayors have signed agreements to cut carbon pollution. so the idea of settinghigher pollution standards for our power plants is not new. it's just time for washingtonto catch up with the rest of the country. and that's what we intend to do. (applause.) now, what you'll hear from the special interestsand their allies in congress is that this will kill jobs and crush the economy, andbasically end american free enterprise as we know it. and the reason i know you'll hearthose things is because that's what they said every time america sets clear rules and betterstandards for our air and our water and our
children's health. and every time, they'vebeen wrong. for example, in 1970, when we decided throughthe clean air act to do something about the smog that was choking our cities -- and, bythe way, most young people here aren't old enough to remember what it was like, but wheni was going to school in 1979-1980 in los angeles, there were days where folks couldn'tgo outside. and the sunsets were spectacular because of all the pollution in the air. but at the time when we passed the clean airact to try to get rid of some of this smog, some of the same doomsayers were saying newpollution standards will decimate the auto industry. guess what -- it didn't happen.our air got cleaner.
in 1990, when we decided to do something aboutacid rain, they said our electricity bills would go up, the lights would go off, businessesaround the country would suffer -- i quote -- "a quiet death." none of it happened, exceptwe cut acid rain dramatically. see, the problem with all these tired excusesfor inaction is that it suggests a fundamental lack of faith in american business and americaningenuity. (applause.) these critics seem to think that when we ask our businesses toinnovate and reduce pollution and lead, they can't or they won't do it. they'll just kindof give up and quit. but in america, we know that's not true. look at our history. when we restricted cancer-causing chemicalsin plastics and leaded fuel in our cars, it
didn't end the plastics industry or the oilindustry. american chemists came up with better substitutes. when we phased out cfcs -- thegases that were depleting the ozone layer -- it didn't kill off refrigerators or air-conditionersor deodorant. (laughter.) american workers and businesses figured out how to do it betterwithout harming the environment as much. the fuel standards that we put in place justa few years ago didn't cripple automakers. the american auto industry retooled, and today,our automakers are selling the best cars in the world at a faster rate than they havein five years -- with more hybrid, more plug-in, more fuel-efficient cars for everybody tochoose from. (applause.) so the point is, if you look at our history,don't bet against american industry. don't
bet against american workers. don't tell folksthat we have to choose between the health of our children or the health of our economy.(applause.) the old rules may say we can't protect ourenvironment and promote economic growth at the same time, but in america, we've alwaysused new technologies -- we've used science; we've used research and development and discoveryto make the old rules obsolete. today, we use more clean energy --- more renewablesand natural gas --- which is supporting hundreds of thousands of good jobs. we waste less energy,which saves you money at the pump and in your pocketbooks. and guess what -- our economyis 60 percent bigger than it was 20 years ago, while our carbon emissions are roughlyback to where they were 20 years ago.
so, obviously, we can figure this out. it'snot an either/or; it's a both/and. we've got to look after our children; we have to lookafter our future; and we have to grow the economy and create jobs. we can do all ofthat as long as we don't fear the future; instead we seize it. (applause.) and, by the way, don't take my word for it-- recently, more than 500 businesses, including giants like gm and nike, issued a climatedeclaration, calling action on climate change "one of the great economic opportunities ofthe 21st century." walmart is working to cut its carbon pollution by 20 percent and transitioncompletely to renewable energy. (applause.) walmart deserves a cheer for that. (applause.)but think about it. would the biggest company,
the biggest retailer in america -- would theyreally do that if it weren't good for business, if it weren't good for their shareholders? a low-carbon, clean energy economy can bean engine of growth for decades to come. and i want america to build that engine. i wantamerica to build that future -- right here in the united states of america. that's ourtask. (applause.) now, one thing i want to make sure everybodyunderstands -- this does not mean that we're going to suddenly stop producing fossil fuels.our economy wouldn't run very well if it did. and transitioning to a clean energy economytakes time. but when the doomsayers trot out the old warnings that these ambitions willsomehow hurt our energy supply, just remind
them that america produced more oil than wehave in 15 years. what is true is that we can't just drill our way out of the energyand climate challenge that we face. (applause.) that's not possible. i put forward in the past an all-of-the-aboveenergy strategy, but our energy strategy must be about more than just producing more oil.and, by the way, it's certainly got to be about more than just building one pipeline.(applause.) now, i know there's been, for example, a lotof controversy surrounding the proposal to build a pipeline, the keystone pipeline, thatwould carry oil from canadian tar sands down to refineries in the gulf. and the state departmentis going through the final stages of evaluating
the proposal. that's how it's always beendone. but i do want to be clear: allowing the keystone pipeline to be built requiresa finding that doing so would be in our nation's interest. and our national interest will beserved only if this project does not significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution.(applause.) the net effects of the pipeline's impact on our climate will be absolutely criticalto determining whether this project is allowed to go forward. it's relevant. now, even as we're producing more domesticoil, we're also producing more cleaner-burning natural gas than any other country on earth.and, again, sometimes there are disputes about natural gas, but let me say this: we shouldstrengthen our position as the top natural
gas producer because, in the medium term atleast, it not only can provide safe, cheap power, but it can also help reduce our carbonemissions. federally supported technology has helpedour businesses drill more effectively and extract more gas. and now, we'll keep workingwith the industry to make drilling safer and cleaner, to make sure that we're not seeingmethane emissions, and to put people to work modernizing our natural gas infrastructureso that we can power more homes and businesses with cleaner energy. the bottom line is natural gas is creatingjobs. it's lowering many families' heat and power bills. and it's the transition fuelthat can power our economy with less carbon
pollution even as our businesses work to developand then deploy more of the technology required for the even cleaner energy economy of thefuture. and that brings me to the second way thatwe're going to reduce carbon pollution -- by using more clean energy. over the past fouryears, we've doubled the electricity that we generate from zero-carbon wind and solarpower. (applause.) and that means jobs -- jobs manufacturing the wind turbines that now generateenough electricity to power nearly 15 million homes; jobs installing the solar panels thatnow generate more than four times the power at less cost than just a few years ago. i know some republicans in washington dismissthese jobs, but those who do need to call
home -- because 75 percent of all wind energyin this country is generated in republican districts. (laughter.) and that may explainwhy last year, republican governors in kansas and oklahoma and iowa -- iowa, by the way,a state that harnesses almost 25 percent of its electricity from the wind -- helped usin the fight to extend tax credits for wind energy manufacturers and producers. (applause.)tens of thousands good jobs were on the line, and those jobs were worth the fight. and countries like china and germany are goingall in in the race for clean energy. i believe americans build things better than anybodyelse. i want america to win that race, but we can't win it if we're not in it. (applause.)
so the plan i'm announcing today will helpus double again our energy from wind and sun. today, i'm directing the interior departmentto green light enough private, renewable energy capacity on public lands to power more than6 million homes by 2020. (applause.) the department of defense -- the biggest energyconsumer in america -- will install 3 gigawatts of renewable power on its bases, generatingabout the same amount of electricity each year as you'd get from burning 3 million tonsof coal. (applause.) and because billions of your tax dollars continueto still subsidize some of the most profitable corporations in the history of the world,my budget once again calls for congress to end the tax breaks for big oil companies,and invest in the clean-energy companies that
will fuel our future. (applause.) now, the third way to reduce carbon pollutionis to waste less energy -- in our cars, our homes, our businesses. the fuel standardswe set over the past few years mean that by the middle of the next decade, the cars andtrucks we buy will go twice as far on a gallon of gas. that means you'll have to fill uphalf as often; we'll all reduce carbon pollution. and we built on that success by setting thefirst-ever standards for heavy-duty trucks and buses and vans. and in the coming months,we'll partner with truck makers to do it again for the next generation of vehicles. meanwhile, the energy we use in our homesand our businesses and our factories, our
schools, our hospitals -- that's responsiblefor about one-third of our greenhouse gases. the good news is simple upgrades don't justcut that pollution; they put people to work -- manufacturing and installing smarter lightsand windows and sensors and appliances. and the savings show up in our electricity billsevery month -- forever. that's why we've set new energy standards for appliances like refrigeratorsand dishwashers. and today, our businesses are building better ones that will also cutcarbon pollution and cut consumers' electricity bills by hundreds of billions of dollars. that means, by the way, that our federal governmentalso has to lead by example. i'm proud that federal agencies have reduced their greenhousegas emissions by more than 15 percent since
i took office. but we can do even better thanthat. so today, i'm setting a new goal: your federal government will consume 20 percentof its electricity from renewable sources within the next seven years. we are goingto set that goal. (applause.) we'll also encourage private capital to getoff the sidelines and get into these energy-saving investments. and by the end of the next decade,these combined efficiency standards for appliances and federal buildings will reduce carbon pollutionby at least three billion tons. that's an amount equal to what our entire energy sectoremits in nearly half a year. so i know these standards don't sound allthat sexy, but think of it this way: that's the equivalent of planting 7.6 billion treesand letting them grow for 10 years -- all
while doing the dishes. it is a great dealand we need to be doing it. (applause.) so using less dirty energy, transitioningto cleaner sources of energy, wasting less energy through our economy is where we needto go. and this plan will get us there faster. but i want to be honest -- this will not getus there overnight. the hard truth is carbon pollution has built up in our atmosphere fordecades now. and even if we americans do our part, the planet will slowly keep warmingfor some time to come. the seas will slowly keep rising and storms will get more severe,based on the science. it's like tapping the brakes of a car before you come to a completestop and then can shift into reverse. it's going to take time for carbon emissions tostabilize.
so in the meantime, we're going to need toget prepared. and that's why this plan will also protect critical sectors of our economyand prepare the united states for the impacts of climate change that we cannot avoid. statesand cities across the country are already taking it upon themselves to get ready. miamibeach is hardening its water supply against seeping saltwater. we're partnering with thestate of florida to restore florida's natural clean water delivery system -- the everglades.the overwhelmingly republican legislature in texas voted to spend money on a new waterdevelopment bank as a long-running drought cost jobs and forced a town to truck in waterfrom the outside. new york city is fortifying its 520 milesof coastline as an insurance policy against
more frequent and costly storms. and whatwe've learned from hurricane sandy and other disasters is that we've got to build smarter,more resilient infrastructure that can protect our homes and businesses, and withstand morepowerful storms. that means stronger seawalls, natural barriers, hardened power grids, hardenedwater systems, hardened fuel supplies. so the budget i sent congress includes fundingto support communities that build these projects, and this plan directs federal agencies tomake sure that any new project funded with taxpayer dollars is built to withstand increasedflood risks. and we'll partner with communities seekinghelp to prepare for droughts and floods, reduce the risk of wildfires, protect the dunes andwetlands that pull double duty as green space
and as natural storm barriers. and we'll alsoopen our climate data and nasa climate imagery to the public, to make sure that cities andstates assess risk under different climate scenarios, so that we don't waste money buildingstructures that don't withstand the next storm. so that's what my administration will do tosupport the work already underway across america, not only to cut carbon pollution, but alsoto protect ourselves from climate change. but as i think everybody here understands,no nation can solve this challenge alone -- not even one as powerful as ours. and that's whythe final part of our plan calls on america to lead -- lead international efforts to combata changing climate. (applause.) and make no mistake -- the world still looksto america to lead. when i spoke to young
people in turkey a few years ago, the firstquestion i got wasn't about the challenges that part of the world faces. it was aboutthe climate challenge that we all face, and america's role in addressing it. and it wasa fair question, because as the world's largest economy and second-largest carbon emitter,as a country with unsurpassed ability to drive innovation and scientific breakthroughs, asthe country that people around the world continue to look to in times of crisis, we've got avital role to play. we can't stand on the sidelines. we've got a unique responsibility.and the steps that i've outlined today prove that we're willing to meet that responsibility. though all america's carbon pollution felllast year, global carbon pollution rose to
a record high. that's a problem. developingcountries are using more and more energy, and tens of millions of people entering aglobal middle class naturally want to buy cars and air-conditioners of their own, justlike us. can't blame them for that. and when you have conversations with poor countries,they'll say, well, you went through these stages of development -- why can't we? but what we also have to recognize is thesesame countries are also more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than we are.they don't just have as much to lose, they probably have more to lose. developing nations with some of the fastest-risinglevels of carbon pollution are going to have
to take action to meet this challenge alongsideus. they're watching what we do, but we've got to make sure that they're stepping upto the plate as well. we compete for business with them, but we also share a planet. andwe have to all shoulder the responsibility for keeping the planet habitable, or we'regoing to suffer the consequences -- together. so to help more countries transitioning tocleaner sources of energy and to help them do it faster, we're going to partner withour private sector to apply private sector technological know-how in countries that transitionto natural gas. we've mobilized billions of dollars in private capital for clean energyprojects around the world. today, i'm calling for an end of public financingfor new coal plants overseas -- (applause)
-- unless they deploy carbon-capture technologies,or there's no other viable way for the poorest countries to generate electricity. and i urgeother countries to join this effort. and i'm directing my administration to launchnegotiations toward global free trade in environmental goods and services, including clean energytechnology, to help more countries skip past the dirty phase of development and join aglobal low-carbon economy. they don't have to repeat all the same mistakes that we made.(applause.) we've also intensified our climate cooperationwith major emerging economies like india and brazil, and china -- the world's largest emitter.so, for example, earlier this month, president xi of china and i reached an important agreementto jointly phase down our production and consumption
of dangerous hydrofluorocarbons, and we intendto take more steps together in the months to come. it will make a difference. it's asignificant step in the reduction of carbon emissions. (applause.) and finally, my administration will redoubleour efforts to engage our international partners in reaching a new global agreement to reducecarbon pollution through concrete action. (applause.) four years ago, in copenhagen, every majorcountry agreed, for the first time, to limit carbon pollution by 2020. two years ago, wedecided to forge a new agreement beyond 2020 that would apply to all countries, not justdeveloped countries.
what we need is an agreement that's ambitious-- because that's what the scale of the challenge demands. we need an inclusive agreement --- becauseevery country has to play its part. and we need an agreement that's flexible -- becausedifferent nations have different needs. and if we can come together and get this right,we can define a sustainable future for your generation. so that's my plan. (applause.) the actionsi've announced today should send a strong signal to the world that america intends totake bold action to reduce carbon pollution. we will continue to lead by the power of ourexample, because that's what the united states of america has always done.
i am convinced this is the fight america can,and will, lead in the 21st century. and i'm convinced this is a fight that america mustlead. but it will require all of us to do our part. we'll need scientists to designnew fuels, and we'll need farmers to grow new fuels. we'll need engineers to devisenew technologies, and we'll need businesses to make and sell those technologies. we'llneed workers to operate assembly lines that hum with high-tech, zero-carbon components,but we'll also need builders to hammer into place the foundations for a new clean energyera. we're going to need to give special care topeople and communities that are unsettled by this transition -- not just here in theunited states but around the world. and those
of us in positions of responsibility, we'llneed to be less concerned with the judgment of special interests and well-connected donors,and more concerned with the judgment of posterity. (applause.) because you and your children,and your children's children, will have to live with the consequences of our decisions. as i said before, climate change has becomea partisan issue, but it hasn't always been. it wasn't that long ago that republicans ledthe way on new and innovative policies to tackle these issues. richard nixon openedthe epa. george h.w. bush declared -- first u.s. president to declare -- "human activitiesare changing the atmosphere in unexpected and unprecedented ways." someone who nevershies away from a challenge, john mccain,
introduced a market-based cap-and-trade billto slow carbon pollution. the woman that i've chosen to head up theepa, gina mccarthy, she's worked -- (applause) -- she's terrific. gina has worked for theepa in my administration, but she's also worked for five republican governors. she's got along track record of working with industry and business leaders to forge common-sensesolutions. unfortunately, she's being held up in the senate. she's been held up for months,forced to jump through hoops no cabinet nominee should ever have to --- not because she lacksqualifications, but because there are too many in the republican party right now whothink that the environmental protection agency has no business protecting our environmentfrom carbon pollution. the senate should confirm
her without any further obstruction or delay.(applause.) but more broadly, we've got to move beyondpartisan politics on this issue. i want to be clear -- i am willing to work with anybody--- republicans, democrats, independents, libertarians, greens --- anybody -- to combatthis threat on behalf of our kids. i am open to all sorts of new ideas, maybe better ideas,to make sure that we deal with climate change in a way that promotes jobs and growth. nobody has a monopoly on what is a very hardproblem, but i don't have much patience for anyone who denies that this challenge is real.(applause.) we don't have time for a meeting of the flat earth society. (applause.) stickingyour head in the sand might make you feel
safer, but it's not going to protect you fromthe coming storm. and ultimately, we will be judged as a people, and as a society, andas a country on where we go from here. our founders believed that those of us inpositions of power are elected not just to serve as custodians of the present, but ascaretakers of the future. and they charged us to make decisions with an eye on a longerhorizon than the arc of our own political careers. that's what the american people expect.that's what they deserve. and someday, our children, and our children'schildren, will look at us in the eye and they'll ask us, did we do all that we could when wehad the chance to deal with this problem and leave them a cleaner, safer, more stable world?and i want to be able to say, yes, we did.
don't you want that? (applause.) americans are not a people who look backwards;we're a people who look forward. we're not a people who fear what the future holds; weshape it. what we need in this fight are citizens who will stand up, and speak up, and compelus to do what this moment demands. understand this is not just a job for politicians.so i'm going to need all of you to educate your classmates, your colleagues, your parents,your friends. tell them what's at stake. speak up at town halls, church groups, pta meetings.push back on misinformation. speak up for the facts. broaden the circle of those whoare willing to stand up for our future. (applause.) convince those in power to reduce our carbonpollution. push your own communities to adopt
smarter practices. invest. divest. (applause.)remind folks there's no contradiction between a sound environment and strong economic growth.and remind everyone who represents you at every level of government that shelteringfuture generations against the ravages of climate change is a prerequisite for yourvote. make yourself heard on this issue. (applause.) i understand the politics will be tough. thechallenge we must accept will not reward us with a clear moment of victory. there's nogathering army to defeat. there's no peace treaty to sign. when president kennedy saidwe'd go to the moon within the decade, we knew we'd build a spaceship and we'd meetthe goal. our progress here will be measured differently -- in crises averted, in a planetpreserved. but can we imagine a more worthy
goal? for while we may not live to see thefull realization of our ambition, we will have the satisfaction of knowing that theworld we leave to our children will be better off for what we did. "it makes you realize," that astronaut saidall those years ago, "just what you have back there on earth." and that image in the photograph,that bright blue ball rising over the moon's surface, containing everything we hold dear-- the laughter of children, a quiet sunset, all the hopes and dreams of posterity -- that'swhat's at stake. that's what we're fighting for. and if we remember that, i'm absolutelysure we'll succeed. thank you. god bless you. god bless the unitedstates of america. (applause.)
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