Obama’s clean power plan: Is it achievable?

Barack Obama, the US president, warns the world may no longer be able to reverse global warming – unless aggressive action is taken, now.

His new plan is all about cutting power plant emissions and boosting renewable energy.

He says the US has 15 years to cut carbon emissions to 32 percent below what they were a decade ago.

Each US state would design its own plan to meet specific carbon emission targets. States which act sooner will be rewarded.

The president has compared the environmental benefits to the equivalent of taking almost 70 percent of US cars off the roads.

The White House says the cuts will prevent about 3,600 premature deaths every year.

But environmentalists worry the plan is too vague – and there’s no concrete starting date.

Coal industry workers are outraged and say the initiative will cut too many jobs and drive up the cost of electricity.

On Inside Story, we ask if President Obama’s goals are realistic when jobs and money are on the line?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests:

Geneva – David Elzinga, economic affairs officer for the Sustainable Energy Division at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

Beijing – Peng Peng, Director of Policy Research for the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association.

New York – Jochan Wermuth, chief investment officer and founder of Wermuth Asset Management, investing in companies with a positive impact on the environment.