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Earth Day Network statement on EPA plan to cut carbon pollution

June 2, 2014

Washington D.C. – In a historic address given this morning, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy proposed a plan that would advance President Obama’s Climate Action Plan by reducing the amount of carbon pollution from power plants across the country.  Carbon emissions from power plants are one of the leading causes of climate change globally.  This proposed plan is said to cut carbon emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030.

Earth Day Network commends the E.P.A. for stressing the importance of public health in this plan, specifically the reduction of respiratory diseases.  Furthermore, this plan would bring environmental justice to disadvantaged and vulnerable communities who are most at risk from both the long and short term effects of carbon and other pollutants in the atmosphere.

While this proposal serves as a significant step in reducing U.S. carbon emissions, it is not enough to solve the issue of global climate change.  We believe that more extensive cuts are necessary to properly address the pervasive issues of climate change, as the IPCC has called for developed countries like the United States to reduce their emissions 25 to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.

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