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Obama 'Has 4 Years to Save Planet'
Environmental crisis at tipping point—and US must show way
By Matt Cantor
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Posted Jan 18, 09 5:00 PM CST
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(Newser)
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Carbon levels are skyrocketing, ice caps are melting, and global flooding is on its way if Barack Obama doesn’t do something about it, and quickly, a NASA scientist says. Top climate expert Jim Hansen says it’s crucial that within 4 years the next president change America—the world’s biggest carbon emitter and its largest economy—after 8 years of ignoring global warming, the Guardian reports.
“We cannot afford to put off change any longer," Hansen says. "We have to get on a new path within this new administration. We have only four years left for Obama to set an example to the rest of the world. He adds that cap-and-trade systems have failed to reduce emissions, and now a carbon tax on all fossil-fuel producers is essential. And burning of coal, the worst carbon offender, in new power plants must be banned."