THE U.S. ROLLS BACK ON BATTLING CLIMATE CHANGE – WHILE CHINA PULLS AHEAD.
HELLO EVERYONE. I’M DARIELLE SNIPES, FILLING IN FOR RICK JACKSON. HE’S TAKING A WELL-DESERVED VACATION THIS WEEK!
WITH THE STROKE OF A PEN, PRESIDENT TRUMP MOVED TO UNRAVEL ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS ENACTED BY THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION – DRAMATICALLY CHANGING THE US APPROACH TO FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE.
CLIMATE CHANGE REFERS TO A CHANGE IN THE CONDITIONS HERE ON EARTH – SPECIFICALLY, SCIENTISTS ARE CONCERNED THAT OUR PLANET IS WARMING UP – AND FAST! IT MIGHT SOUND NICE COMING OUT OF ANOTHER OHIO WINTER, BUT WARMER TEMPERATURES ARE CAUSING CHANGES AROUND THE WORLD, SUCH AS MELTING GLACIERS AND STRONGER STORMS. SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THAT AT LEAST SOME OF THE CHANGES ARE CAUSED BY BURNING FOSSIL FUELS LIKE COAL.
BUT WE ALL DEPEND ON COAL, AND OTHER FOSSIL FUELS, FOR ENERGY – AND, PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS THAT MANY AMERICANS RELY ON THE COAL INDUSTRY FOR JOBS. THAT’S WHY HE DECIDED TO ROLL BACK OBAMA’A POLICIES.
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PRES. TRUMP: "... MY ADMINISTRATION IS PUTTING AN END TO THE WAR ON COAL. I AM TAKING HISTORIC STEPS TO LIFT THE RESTRICTIONS ON AMERICAN ENERGY, TO REVERSE GOVERNMENT INTRUSION AND TO CANCEL JOB KILLING REGULATIONS."
ACROSS THE GLOBE, ANOTHER GOVERNMENT HAS REVERSED ITS STANCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE. CHINA, KNOWN FOR ITS DEADLY SMOG, HAS RECENTLY MADE EFFORTS TO GO GREEN! WILL RIPLEY HAS MORE ABOUT THIS CLIMATE CHANGE ROLE-REVERSAL.
TWO DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT PHOTO OPS JUST HOURS APART.
CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING PLANTING TREES IN BEIJING.
TALKING ABOUT PROTECTING NATURE.
PRESIDENT TRUMP SIGNING AN EXECUTIVE ORDER IN WASHINGTON.
DISMANTLING PRESIDENT OBAMA'S CLIMATE CHANGE POLICIES.
THE LEADERS OF THE WORLD'S TWO BIGGEST POLLUTERS -- CHINA READY TO TAKE THE LEAD ON GOING GREEN.
Li Ying/Beijing Resident: "I'm a bit shocked," SAYS THIS BEIJING RESIDENT. "But that's okay. Our national leaders are paying much more attention than before."
Zhang Daguo/Insurance:"I don't feel like President Xi has done very much," HE SAYS. "We're not seeing the results."
IT'S TRUE -- THERE ARE STILL MANY SMOGGY DAYS IN CHINESE CITIES LIKE BEIJING. BUT AS THE US SEEMS TO BE REVERSING COURSE ON CLIMATE CHANGE -- CHINA IS CHANGING ITS APPROACH. EVEN THE HARDLINE STATE NEWSPAPER GLOBAL TIMES IS CALLING OUT TRUMP -- URGING AMERICANS TO STOP HIS CLIMATE POLICIES.
FOR YEARS -- THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT MISLED THE PUBLIC ON POLLUTION -- AND SUPPRESSED ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS.
"Some of the factories are not in compliance."
NOW -- THEY'RE WORKING TOGETHER. CREATING THIS APP SHOWING REAL TIME POLLUTION DATA -- PRESSURING VIOLATORS TO CLEAN UP THEIR ACT.
Ma Jun/Activist: "Now finally there's a real political will to try and control the pollution."
TIMES HAVE DEFINITELY CHANGED. AS THE US ROLLS BACK ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS --
-- CHINA'S INVESTING HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN CLEAN ENERGY. LIKE THIS WIND TURBINE FACTORY. AND A CHINESE TECH FIRM BUYING INTO US-ELECTRIC CAR-MAKER TESLA.
MANY CHINESE ARE FED UP WITH TOXIC SMOG. A DEADLY BYPRODUCT OF DECADES OF ECONOMIC GROWTH. BELIEVED TO KILL MORE THAN 2 MILLION PEOPLE IN CHINA EACH YEAR.
Aaron Cheng/Real Estate Employee: "Other countries have experienced pollution," SAYS THIS MAN. "So we have examples of how to deal with it."
THE WORLD'S BIGGEST POLLUTER HOPES TO PUT BAD AIR IN THE PAST.
Instructional Links
Encyclopedia Article: INFOhio, World Book Student, China | May need password.
Website Article: ProCon.org, Climate Change | Lists both sides of climate change debate.
Website Article: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Energy Kids, Renewable Energy Sources | Explains different sources. Includes charts
Website Article: DOGOnews, President Trump Signs Energy Independence Executive Order