Energy, Climate Change,
and Our Environment

The President has taken unprecedented action to build the foundation for a clean energy economy, tackle the issue of climate change, and protect our environment.

Energy and Environment Latest News

  • Making Progress on Climate Change

    Posted by Dan Utech on January 16, 2014 at 5:45 PM EDT

    President Barack Obama delivers remarks on climate change, at Georgetown University

    President Barack Obama delivers remarks on climate change, at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., June 25, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

    In June 2013, President Obama gave a speech at Georgetown University where he laid out both the case for action on climate change and the steps his Administration will take to address it. The Climate Action Plan that the President announced includes steps to cut carbon pollution, help prepare the United States for the impacts of climate change that are already on the way, and continue American leadership in international efforts to combat global climate change. As we begin 2014, seven months after the President’s speech, we can report that the Administration is delivering on the ambitious goals the President put forward. 

    In the past few months, the Administration has taken important steps under the Climate Action Plan to move to cleaner sources of power, strengthen our communities against climate change impacts such as the threat of more severe weather, and engage our international partners. The Department of the Interior continued to approve renewable energy projects on our Federal; the Department of Energy has proposed new energy efficiency standards for appliances and equipment that will help cut consumers' electricity bills; and the Environmental Protection Agency has taken common sense steps to cut carbon pollution from power plants.

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  • Wide Bandgap Semiconductors: Essential to Our Technology Future

    Posted by Secretary Ernest Moniz on January 15, 2014 at 10:00 AM EDT

    Ed. note: This is cross-posted from energy.gov. See the original post here.

    Hidden inside nearly every modern electronic is a technology -- called power electronics -- that is quietly making our world run. Yet, as things like our phones, appliances and cars advance, current power electronics will no longer be able to meet our needs, making it essential that we invest in the future of this technology.

    Today, President Obama will announce that North Carolina State University will lead the Energy Department’s new manufacturing innovation institute for the next generation of power electronics. The institute will work to drive down the costs of and build America’s manufacturing leadership in wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor-based power electronics -- leading to more affordable products for businesses and consumers, billions of dollars in energy savings and high-quality U.S. manufacturing jobs.

    Integral to consumer electronics and many clean energy technologies, power electronics can be found in everything from electric vehicles and industrial motors, to laptop power adaptors and inverters that connect solar panels and wind turbines to the electric grid. For nearly 50 years, silicon chips have been the basis of power electronics. However, as clean energy technologies and the electronics industry has advanced, silicon chips are reaching their limits in power conversion -- resulting in wasted heat and higher energy consumption.

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  • New Energy.gov Video Series Highlights Women in STEM Fields

    Posted by Erin R. Pierce and Matty Greene on January 14, 2014 at 12:35 PM EDT

    Ed. note: This is cross-posted from the U.S. Department of Energy. You can see the original post here.

    Watch on YouTube

    Meet Carter Wall. She's the director of the performance solar division at a Boston-area electrical construction company and the first profile in our new #WomeninSTEM video series.

    Carter developed an interest in science at an early age, yet struggled to find examples of women scientists and engineers beyond historical figures, like Marie Curie. A lack of relatable role models ultimately didn’t stop Carter from pursuing an undergraduate education and career rooted in STEM -- shorthand for science, technology, engineering and mathematic fields. Now, she plays a key role at one of largest solar developers in the Northeast, while also serving as an ambassador for the Energy Department’s Women in Clean Energy Initiative.

    Just like Carter, many women have difficultly finding STEM role models they can directly relate to, partly due to the underrepresentation of women in these fields. Among college grads, men outnumber women in nearly every science and engineering major, according to a report by the American Association of University Women. The disparity is equally as stark as women enter the workforce. According to the Department of Commerce, women make up less than a quarter of STEM professionals in the U.S.

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  • Weekly Wrap Up: “Every kid in this country can make it”

    Posted by Alicia Oken on January 10, 2014 at 7:00 PM EDT

    Promise Zones: The President announced on Thursday the first five “Promise Zone” locations, an initiative to partners with local communities and businesses to create jobs, expand access to educational opportunities and spur economic mobility.

    President Obama was joined in the East Room by students from Harlem Children’s Zone, an educational undertaking that inspired the Promise Zones, where he spoke about the importance of making sure a child’s path isn’t determined by their zip code, but rather by their hard work and determination. In his speech, the President mentioned how he wasn’t so different from one of the students who has benefitted from the Harlem Children’s Zone.

    “If you want to know why I care about this stuff so much, it's because I'm not that different from Roger,” President Obama said.

    There was a period of time in my life where I was goofing off. I was raised by a single mom. I didn’t know my dad. The only difference between me and Roger was my environment was more forgiving than his. That’s the only difference. If I screwed up, the consequences weren't quite as great. So if Roger can make it, and if I can make it, if Kiara can make it, every kid in this country can make it. 

    The Promise Zones, located in San Antonio, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Southeastern Kentucky, and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, are the first of 20 being launched over the next three years. You can read his full remarks here.

    Extending Emergency Unemployment Insurance: On Tuesday, President Obama called on Congress to extend emergency unemployment insurance. Two weeks ago, Congress failed to renew the vital lifeline that temporarily extends insurance for 1.3 million Americans who are currently looking for work. “Now, I've heard the argument that says extending unemployment insurance will somehow hurt the unemployed because it zaps their motivation to get a new job,” the President said.

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  • What You Missed in We the Geeks: “Weather is Your Mood and Climate is Your Personality”

    Posted by Becky Fried on January 10, 2014 at 6:30 PM EDT

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    Summing up the distinction between short-term changes in the weather and long term climate trends in today’s "We the Geeks" Hangout, Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd, President of the American Meteorological Society, used nine simple words: "weather is your mood and climate is your personality." He later highlighted a need among scientists to correct the misperception that cold snaps disprove climate change, comparing it to the rationale: “because its night time, the sun went away.”

    Those insights and more were shared at today’s "We the Geeks" Google+ Hangout on the "Polar Vortex" and Extreme Weather.

    The live discussion kicked off with an explanation of the mechanics of the polar vortex phenomenon by leading National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Arctic Researcher Jim Overland, who said the shape of the circulating vortex of cold air—when it’s stable—is actually "just like the vortex going out of your bathtub." (You can watch a two-minute explainer video of the Polar Vortex by President Obama’s Science Advisor John P. Holdren, here).

    Includes Video
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  • West Wing Week 1/10/14 or, "A Year of Action"

    Posted by psandy on January 10, 2014 at 1:04 AM EDT

    Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that's happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. This week, the President repeatedly called for Congress to extend Emergency Unemployment Insurance for more than a million Americans, and announced the first five of what will be 20 Promise Zones to help change the odds for kids, as the War on Poverty turned 50. And as a polar vortex descended on much of the country, the President's Science Advisor explained why. That's January 3rd to January 9th or, "A Year of Action. " 

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