White House Proposes 'Action Plan' To Combat Climate Change

Following the World Health Organization's (WHO) eye-opening report on the effects of climate change report, the White House has released their own report along with a detailed plan on how to combat its effects.

According to the U.S. Climate Extremes Index, 2012 was the country's hottest year on record, with 356 record high temps either tied or broken. From the east coast to the west, cities everywhere experienced severely hot and dry summers. And nearly a third of Americans saw temps in the 100+ degrees Fahrenheit range.

The Dangers of Climate Change

But climate change effects us in more ways than just one. The White House reports that as global temperatures begin to rise, we'll see more of the following:

• Droughts
• Heatwaves
• Tornadoes
• Hurricanes
• Wildfires
• Flooding

What's Causing Climate Change?

This is a topic that's still up for debate, but the general consensus among the world's most esteemed scientists is that humans are in fact speeding up the Earth's natural climate change cycle. This is due to the fact that humans release greenhouse gases which become trapped in the atmosphere, acting as a natural insulation shield. The more greenhouse gases we release, the greater the insulating effect; thus, preventing the warm air from escaping.

The U.S. currently emits the following greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), fluorinated gases, nitrous oxide (N20) and methane (CH4), most of which are used for electricity, transportation and industrial purposes.

The White House's Plan To Combat Climate Change

The White House has proposed a series of changes to help reduce the impact of man-made climate change, including the reduction of coal-burning power plants. Power plants are currently the country's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for roughly 40% of all emissions. Switching over to renewable sources of energy will damped the impact of coal-burning power plants.

In addition, the White House's plan aims to create more eco-friendly fuel economy standards for new vehicles, boost solar power facility funding, reduce energy waste in homes, and create strong partnerships with industries.

Not everyone is on board with the idea that humans are causing climate change. Mitch McConnel is one such lawmaker whom continues to battle against energy regulations aimed to reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions.

"Even if we were to enact the kind of national energy regulations the President seems to want so badly, it would be unlikely to meaningfully impact global emissions anyway unless other major industrial nations do the same thing," said Kentucky Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnel McConnell.

You can read more about the White House's report on climate change by visiting WhiteHouse.gov/share/climate-action-plan.