Obama’s Climate Change Emissions Rules
New regulations have the potential to impact the nation’s health as well as the environment, but could become a wedge issue in the 2016 presidential election.
Contact: Andrew Good at (213) 740-8606 or gooda@usc.edu.
Important for America’s credibility and health
“The benefits of this regulation are not only in reducing the future impacts of climate change globally, but also in improving the present health of the nation – especially the health of children. This regulation will result in significant reductions in asthma and school and work days missed as a result of air pollution. The obvious challenges will be political and economic, especially from states where the coal industry is important.”
Hilda Blanco, research professor at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, has served as a lead author focused on urban issues for the U.N. International Panel on Climate Change’s global assessment and for the U.S. National Climate Assessment. She can discuss how the new emissions rules are vital to the nation’s credibility in leading international climate change negotiations in December.
Contact: (213) 821-2431 or hblanco@usc.edu.
Los Angeles is a success story for air pollution regulations
“President Obama’s comment on improvements in LA air quality in recent decades is something all of us who have lived here can relate to — and we’ve seen the benefits of cleaner air in our health research. LA is an environmental success story, with today’s levels of some air pollutants as much as 50 percent lower than in the 1990’s. Our recent work shows that children today have significantly healthier lungs than children 20 years ago, thanks to tighter air pollution standards.”
James Gauderman, associate professor of preventive medicine at Keck Medicine of USC, is an expert on the impact of air pollution on health. He recently published a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine on improvements in childrens’ lung function in the L.A. Basin due to improved air quality. It was the first good news to come out of his decades-long study.
Contact: (323) 442-1567 or jimg@usc.edu.
In 2016, climate change rules will be a wedge issue between coastal voters and Midwest voters
“It will be interesting to see how the current crop of Republican contenders handle the issue in the first debate this week. But the Democrats have also begun to see climate change as a potential wedge issue for a whole range of constituencies in the general election. Most of the electorate views climate change as an important issue (if not an overriding one) and supports some sort of action.”
Jefferey Sellers, associate professor of political science and public policy at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences, is an expert in environmental law and policy. He can discuss the role climate change regulations will play in the 2016 presidential elections, with voters on the coasts and Midwest divided over energy policy.
Contact: (213) 740-6998 or sellers@usc.edu.
