Obama’s Dream Green Team

 

Today, at 12p EST, the United States of America welcomed our 44th President, Barack Hussein Obama.  While it is expected that he will assist this country out of its vast inadequacies created by the Bush Administration, the one great hope, is the ‘green’ hope.  Many have talked in the weeks past of the Dream Green Team. But, we felt that on this day, it bears reminding who is on this team and welcoming them in their leadership roles of combating climate change.

 

Dr. Steven Chu – Department of Energy

Nobel Prize winning physicist.  He has a sophisticated grasp of the complexities of global warming and a strong belief that it needs to be fought agressively.  He has long been an advocate to alternative energy and nuclear power, arguing that a shift away from fossil fuel is necessary for our long term survival.

Lisa Jackson – Environmental Protection Agency

She comes from the post of serving as the New Jersey head of the  Department of Environmental Protection.  She has been a staunch defender of the environment in her state, setting policy on clean water, clean air, and land preservation.  During her confirmation hearings, many heard music when she said, “Science will be the backbone of what the EPA does.”

 

Jane Lubchenco – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Dr. Lubchenco is a marine ecologist and Professor of Zoology at Oregon State University.  Her expertise includes ocean ecosystems and the human/environment nexus: biodiversity, climate change, sustainability science, ecosystem services, marine reserves, coastal marine ecosystems, the state of the oceans and of the planet.

 

Carol Browner – Asst. to the President for Energy and Climate Change

She was the head of the EPA under President Clinton.  She believes that global warming is the greatest challenge we have ever faced.  She will act as a coordinator for environmental, energy, climate, transport and related matters for the federal government.

 

Nancy Sutley – White House Council on Environmental Quality

She is currently serving as the Deputy Mayor for Energy and Environment of Los Angeles.  She brings with her more than a decade in senior environmental, energy and water policy-making positions in California. She also has experience dealing with budget and legislative matters at the state and federal level.

 

Dr. John Holdren – White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

Dr. Holdren is a professor of Environmental Policy at Harvard University.  His work has focused on causes and consequences of global environmental change, analysis of energy technologies and policies, ways to reduce the dangers from nuclear weapons and materials, and the interaction of content and process in science and technology policy. 

Office of Urban Policy

 

On February 11th, 2004, Bill Clinton signed Executive Order #12898, the Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations.  The intent of this order was to ensure that each “Federal agency shall make achieving environmental justice part of its mission by identifying and addressing disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its programs, policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income populations.”

This came after numerous studies were released showing the negative effect of air and water pollution were more concentrated in minority communities. Unfortunately, Clinton never fully implemented the order, and Bush ignored it all together, to put it kindly.  As a result, we are still seeing a disproportionately high case of adverse effects due to environmental causes in the minority populations.  An example would be this publications ongoing research into Bisphenol-A and phthalates.

However, it looks as though the Obama administration is going to deliver on the promise made back in 1994.  Not only are his appointments to the EPA, Health and Human Services, White House Council of Environmental Quality, the assistant to the president on Energy and Climate Change, and HUD a significant notice that they are changing the direction of this country, but more compelling is the creation of the Office of Urban Policy.

The office is intended to better coordinate federal efforts to help America’s cities.   As we all know, Obama started his career as “community organizer”. As a result, he understands at the local level is really where you can impact change and that local government can play a vital role as we try to jump start our economy.  

It also seems that this will have a positive impact on the environment.  Adolfo Carrion, the appointee in charge of the OUP, has been a champion of affordable, energy efficient, green quality sustainable housing for low income family.

Add this all together and you have a team that is not only fighting for the environment, but fighting for the people that are the most at risk when something goes wrong in the environment.

The American Prospect has further information.

Barack’s first steps

Bill McKibben just posted a fantastic article on Yale e360 about possible next steps for our new President Elect.

Any hope of succeeding will require Obama to grasp, deep in his guts, the fact that climate, energy, food, and the economy are now hopelessly intertwined, and that trying to solve any one of these problems without taking on the others simply makes all of them worse. More, he needs to understand, again viscerally, the single stark fact of our time: No matter how many votes, no matter how much lobbying, no matter how much pressure you apply, you can’t amend the laws of physics and chemistry. They aren’t like the laws that politicians are used to dealing with. They will be obeyed, like it or not. 350 is now the most important number on the planet, the red line that defines reality reality.

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