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The release of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse nary estimate of energy-related CO2 emissions in 2015 re-
gases (GHGs) due to human activity is increasing global av- veals that emissions stayed flat compared with the year be-
erage surface air temperatures, disrupting weather patterns, fore, whereas the global economy grew (3). The IEA noted
First release: 9 January 2017 www.sciencemag.org (Page numbers not final at time of first release) 1
homeowners, shareholders, and customers. Global insur- about primarily by the increased availability of low-cost gas
ance and reinsurance businesses are already taking such due to new production techniques (2, 15). Because the cost
steps as their analytical models reveal growing climate risk. of new electricity generation using natural gas is projected
to remain low relative to coal, it is unlikely that utilities will
PRIVATE-SECTOR EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS change course and choose to build coal-fired power plants,
Beyond the macroeconomic case, businesses are coming to which would be more expensive than natural gas plants,
the conclusion that reducing emissions is not just good for regardless of any near-term changes in federal policy. Alt-
the environmentit can also boost bottom lines, cut costs hough methane emissions from natural gas production are a
for consumers, and deliver returns for shareholders. serious concern, firms have an economic incentive over the
Perhaps the most compelling example is energy efficien- long term to put in place waste-reducing measures con-
cy. Government has played a role in encouraging this kind sistent with standards my Administration has put in place,
of investment and innovation: My Administration has put in and states will continue making important progress toward
place (i) fuel economy standards that are net beneficial and addressing this issue, irrespective of near-term federal policy.
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not always been the case. A short time ago, many believed CONCLUSION
that only a small number of advanced economies should be We have long known, on the basis of a massive scientific
responsible for reducing GHG emissions and contributing to record, that the urgency of acting to mitigate climate change
the fight against climate change. But nations agreed in Paris is real and cannot be ignored. In recent years, we have also
that all countries should put forward increasingly ambitious seen that the economic case for actionand against inac-
climate policies and be subject to consistent transparency tionis just as clear, the business case for clean energy is
and accountability requirements. This was a fundamental growing, and the trend toward a cleaner power sector can
shift in the diplomatic landscape, which has already yielded be sustained regardless of near-term federal policies.
substantial dividends. The Paris Agreement entered into Despite the policy uncertainty that we face, I remain
force in less than a year, and, at the follow-up meeting this convinced that no country is better suited to confront the
fall in Marrakesh, countries agreed that, with more than 110 climate challenge and reap the economic benefits of a low-
countries representing more than 75% of global emissions carbon future than the United States and that continued
having already joined the Paris Agreement, climate action participation in the Paris process will yield great benefit for
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13. BW Research Partnership, U.S. Energy and Employment Report (DOE,
Washington, DC, 2017).
14. U.S. Department of the Treasury, United StatesProgress report on fossil fuel
subsidies (Treasury, Washington, DC, 2014); www.treasury.gov.
15. U.S. Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review, November
2016 (EIA, Washington, DC, 2015); http://bit.ly/2iQjPbD.
16. DOE, RevolutionNow: The Future Arrives for Five Clean Energy Technologies
2016 Update (DOE, Washington, DC, 2016); http://bit.ly/2hTv1WG.
17. A. McCrone, Ed., Clean Energy Investment: By the NumbersEnd of Year 2015
(Bloomberg, New York, 2015); http://bloom.bg/2jaz4zG.
18. U. Hlzle, Were set to reach 100% renewable energyand its just the
beginning (Google, 2016); http://bit.ly/2hTEbSR.
19. Walmart, Walmarts Approach to Renewable Energy (Walmart, 2014);
http://bit.ly/2j5A_PDF.
20. R. Fares, Texas sets all-time wind energy record [blog]. Sci. Am., 14 January
2016; http://bit.ly/2iBj9Jq.
First release: 9 January 2017 www.sciencemag.org (Page numbers not final at time of first release) 4
The irreversible momentum of clean energy
Barack Obama (January 9, 2017)
published online January 9, 2017
Editor's Summary
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