In his January 20, 2015 State of the Union address, President
Obama stated, "And no challenge - no challenge - poses a
greater threat to future generations than climate change." To
meet this challenge, the President and his Administration are
constructing a broad set of regulatory programs and agreements to
reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, seeking to build a lasting
legacy on addressing the challenge of climate change. It may be up
to a new Congress, and, more likely, the federal courts to
determine how lasting that legacy may be.
International agreements
On November 12, 2014, President Obama and Chinese President Xi
Jinping jointly announced an agreement on reducing GHG emissions
from their two countries by 2030, including new targets for
emissions reductions by the United States and a first-ever
commitment by China. The agreement, negotiated quietly through high
level contacts, was intended to spur other nations, particularly in
the developing world, to
