The Impact of the Climate Change Bill

Guest post by Megan Jones.

The United States House of Representatives just voted on a bill looking to slash carbon dioxide pollution blamed for global warming, with the Democrats narrowly winning the victory.  With the recent influx of information relating to the global climate change and subsequent global warming that is occurring, the United States has attempted to curb further damage to the atmosphere by instating many energy-efficient bills.  The United States ranks second to China in terms of energy emissions and while carbon emissions have drastically decreased, the House hopes that the passing of this bill will “open the door to a new energy economy” (as quoted by President Obama).

The recent “green movement” that has swept the globe has resulted in many eco-friendly endeavors, even including a zero-emissions city in the UAE.  This new stance on environmentally-friendly actions has caused the general public to be better informed as to what our modern-day activities are doing to the planet.  This legislation will impose limits for the first time on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas pollution from power plants, factories, and refineries.  The Democrats maintain that this law will help industries transition over to a clean energy economy and overwhelmingly promote domestic emission reduction efforts.  Additionally, it also will cause most companies to shift from coal and other fossil fuels to renewable and more efficient forms of energy.  However, while the House has passed this bill, the Senate still has to act on it in order for it to become law, which may prove to be a bit of a struggle.

Opponents of this bill maintain that it will cause many Americans to lose jobs, as companies will be forced to transfer jobs overseas in order to cut costs due to the new emissions policies.  Additionally, many legislators have contended that this will be a large tax increase for the American citizens.  Proponents of the bill argue against these statements, stating that the impact on taxpayers would be offset by other provisions within the bill, allowing certain credits to low-income consumers.  The underlying impact of the law will not be noticeably visible until 2020, when legislators hope it will reduce gas emissions by 17 percent at this date, and by 80 percent by the next century.  Most House Representatives view this bill as a way to preserve the planet for future generations, as carbon dioxide emissions rise about 1 percent a year and are continually increasing due to a lack of mandatory caps.   While this bill has yet to be passed into law, the fact that one of the powers of the modern world is actively trying to reduce its emissions is a beacon of hope and a promise for an eco-friendly future.

This post was contributed by Megan Jones, who writes about the Nursing Colleges. She welcomes your feedback at Meg.Jones0310 at gmail.com