Felipe Calderón, former President of México and Chair of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate and WRI board member issued the following statement:
I would like to congratulate President Obama on this bold move to reduce carbon emissions in the United States.
These measures will be good for the health and security of all Americans. This is a flexible climate-resilient and business-friendly proposal that will benefit not just the United States, and should inspire more action around the world.
As the world’s largest economy, the example of the United States will have powerful effects globally. I hope the United States can lead in creating innovation that can change billions of people’s lives for the better by increasing the use of more efficient and less damaging energy sources.
Among other things, this is an important step towards recognizing the true cost of coal, an energy source that has significant impacts on people’s health in addition to the associated climate risks.
According to the EPA, this is an economically positive initiative that will provide health and climate benefits worth at least 55 billion dollars a year in 2030, well above the estimated costs of implementing the plan.
