Obama’s climate conundrum: Oil and gas versus low emissions
Barack Obama wants to cut carbon emissions. The US president also wants to increase domestic oil and gas production. Can he do both?
Even as US oil and gas production reaches new highs, Washington is putting its foot down on climate change. In a speech to Georgetown University on 26 June, US president Barack Obama fleshed out an ambitious blueprint to reduce coal-fired power generation and position the US as a leader in “a global assault” against greenhouse gases (GHGs). Through a series of executive orders, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be charged with developing new rules for carbon emissions - these will apply mainly to coal-fired power plants responsible for 40% of US GHGs. The administration has set a goal of obtaining a minimum of 20% of the government’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020.
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy
