Obama's emission reduction Clean Power Plan is designed to cut emissions from power plants and is being strengthened in terms of the long-term emission reduction ambition proposed by the U.S. president in 2015. His plan in the short-term is a concession to states reliant on highly-polluting coal.

White House adviser Brian Deese said the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules represented the "biggest step that any single president has made to curb the carbon pollution that is fuelling climate change". The US is the world's second biggest carbon emitter after China.

Describing the rules of Obama's Clean Power Plan, as very important, Lord Stern, the author of an influential reviews of the economics of climate change, said: "It shows the determination of the world's richest country to maintain better economic growth while also cutting greenhouse gas pollution. President Obama has recognised in particular the enormous damage caused by pollution from the burning of coal in power stations."

View August 3, 2015 Climate Progress article
View August 3, 2015 The Guardian article
View August 3, 2015 The Tree report
View August 3, 2015 The White House press release
View United States Environmental Protection Agency Clean Power Plan for Existing Power Plants page