President Barack Obama has announced a broad plan to deal with the effects of the climate change, specially the rising sea level and severe weather.
The plan also seeks to put in place regulation to control carbon dioxide emission at power plants.
Comprised by 21 pages, the plan outlines a blueprint to expand production of solar and wind energy and include billion of dollars in loan to finance the development of cleaner fossil-fuel and other energy technologies.
In another development, the plan also seeks to fund new efforts to protect communities against flooding, wildfires, and drought, and puts more emphasis on working with countries such as India and China to jointly lower emissions of gases that warm the atmosphere.
This plan takes on many of the Obama administration first-term initiatives and does not require approval of Congress, which has blocked efforts to pass legislation aimed at slowing global warming.
According to the New York Times, the power plant rule, while short on specifics, is all but certain to face lawsuits, political opposition, and industry pressure.
The president had directed the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate carbon at new power plants, but it was not until Tuesday that he set in motion rules for existing power plants. He directed the EPA to complete rules within two years. However, the plan lacked specifics on how existing power plants would have to lower emissions.
By 2020, Obama had pledged four years ago, the United States would reduce carbon emissions 17 per cent below 2005 levels. And 80 per cent lower by 2050
"This plan would help the nation reach those goals," Obama said.