Energy Group Warns US-China Climate Deal Will Hurt You in Long Run
Kenric Ward /
China’s agreement to reduce coal emissions isn’t worth the paper it was printed on, an energy research group says.
Noting that Beijing made no binding promises, the Institute for Energy Research said President Obama “got swindled” during his appearance with Chinese leaders Wednesday.
The swindle ultimately hits the American taxpayer, according to the group.
“The president is making costly promises that will hurt Americans in the long run,” said Chris Warren, communications director for IER in Washington, D.C.
Rules enacted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will shut down 72 coal-fired electric plants across the nation over the next decade. The move will eliminate enough gigawatts to power 44.7 million U.S. homes.
The White House hailed the agreement as historic. On the White House blog, presidential counselor John Podesta and science adviser John Holdren wrote:
Today in Beijing, the leaders of the world’s two largest economies—and the world’s two biggest emitters—stood together and committed to tackling that threat head-on. If other leaders follow suit, if more businesses step up, if we keep our level of ambition high, we can build the safer, cleaner, healthier, and more prosperous world future generations deserve.
When Obama attended the U.N. climate summit in September, neither China nor India sent their leaders.
“The U.N.’s summit platform included an energy agenda that aims to limit greenhouse gas emissions through the adoption of costly, ineffective renewable technologies and energy efficiency standards,” reported the Economic Times.
“China and India recognize that this agenda will raise electricity and gasoline costs, unfairly stifle their nations’ economic growth and leave their citizens worse off,” the Times concluded.
To prod China—which generates massive amounts of air pollution that drifts daily across the East China Sea to Korea—Obama ramped up his call for more government funding of renewable energy ventures. That includes taxpayer subsidies for controversial solar and wind projects.