ECOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT
The US is responsible for 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The attitudes towards global warming changed in late 2008 when a new president was elected. As a result of that the first greenhouse gas emission limitation act was passed by The House of Representatives in 2009. The Clean Energy and Security Act (2009) plans to reduce the levels of 2005 greenhouse gas emissions by 17% by 2020 and by 83% by 2080. The Senate however did not pass the full bill, they did not back the cap and trade that would have allowed “swap” emissions between manufacturers and create a nationwide carbon market (Black, 2010).
A change in the bill was made after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The offshore drilling on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts is now limited and the states have acquired a right to veto operations of oil drilling if they are perceived as being harmful not only for the environment but also for the economy. The limitations of offshore drilling means that the US is still dependent on international oil providers, the Government do not have complete control over pricing and good relationships with nations supplying oil need to be kept.
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