Barack Obama begins to climate change be taken personally

Raw vision loss by around 86 % of the snowpack in the mountains of California Annual was the image that marked the U.S. president , Barack Obama, just before a meeting with eight European leaders last month February . "It was a moment of ' Houston, we have a problem ' ," said White House counselor John D. Podesta , one of two advisers who accompanied the president that day.

Since then, Obama has said repeatedly these images , and has warned that political leaders have no choice but to cope with the impact of global warming.

After several years leaving climate change in the background, the President has decided to enter fully into the question of climate change , considering one of the key components of his legacy , as recorded by 'The Washington Post' .

Obama is kept regularly informed on the issue of climate change and is trying to cut emissions of greenhouse gases from power plants and other major sources , as well as to carry out a series of stringent fuel efficiency standards for heavy trucks . And while meets regularly at summits on climate change with other world leaders , also discusses this issue in his private life , explaining the implications of global warming to their teenage daughters.

"This is real to him ," said Cecilia Muñoz , who heads the council of national policy from the White House and helps coordinate the federal investment for infrastructure projects resilience to climate change . " It's personal for him."
Obama delays on the construction of Keystone XL
This transformation defines the 'Post' as "important" , especially for a politician who was a senator when heading in large terms of the need to combat climate change but adopted a more restrictive approach in the period prior to his re-election , in 2012.

The environmentalists have also noticed this " lack " of Obama, mainly because of its delay in taking a decision on the Keystone XL, a pipeline that would link Alberta with Canadian region of Nebraska and whose construction should be approved from the House Blanca.

The decision to approve or not this pipeline , which would have to cross the border, has been postponed because the government has not yet determined the pros and cons of construction : while proponents believe could help the United States reduce its energy dependence oil " unreliable countries," those who reject allude to the amount of environmental risks.

The industry is concerned about Obama 's new stance

The leaders of the coal and gas are increasingly alarmed at Obama 's renewed focus on climate change and argue , among other things, that government policies are unrealistic and do not recognize the capabilities of measures as hydraulic fracturing when extracting oil and gas from the ground.

Among them is the president of 'American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers ' Charles T. Drevna , wondering why the U.S. Government is now focusing on this issue. " Is it because it promised when he became President ? Or because they have any donors out there that gives you a lot of money ? Or is it really because he believes and loves it? "Asks .

As an Illinois state senator , Obama delivered his keynote address on climate change. The day he won the presidential elections in 2008 defined it as "the moment when the rise of ocean levels began to recede and the planet began to heal ."

Once president, he first passed limiting emissions from cars and light trucks. But the measure stalled in the Senate in 2009 , and during his first term, Obama's advisers were at opposite positions on how to push aggressive climate policy at a time when the primary concern was the economy.

"Then there was a feeling that was not the type of question to be put first ," said William M. Daley, chief of staff of the White House. "With respect to all my friends in the environmental community , to put this issue at the forefront of his political agenda was like using a gun to his head."

Hurricane 'Sandy ' Obama helped to convince the U.S. need to rethink how to rebuild after disasters. Now, Obama revitalized present a new strategy on climate change Tuesday. In 2009 the national assessment on climate Obama only covered a couple of regional media. This time , the president will interview from the White House , with meteorologists from the local and national television and accompanied by other senior government officials .

Podesta , the White House counselor , believes that Americans are more willing to accept new limits on carbon emissions if they know their impact. " If they know you feel the risks in their own lives , they will be more willing to act."