12:35 AM
'We Can Do This': Obama's Climate Change Appeal
In a video memo, the US President urges Americans to support Clean Power Plan, which demands tougher targets on carbon emissions.
11:51, UK,Monday 03 August 2015
By Sky News US Team
Barack Obama is set to unveil a finalised plan to tackle greenhouse gases from coal-fired power stations which could see carbon emissions slashed by nearly a third.
The White House has said the revised Clean Power Plan will demand carbon emissions are cut by 32% from 2005 levels by 2030.
It will also encourage a shift towards renewable energy sources including wind and solar energy.
Industry groups and some politicians from states which rely on coal-based energy have vowed to challenge the plan, which is expected to trigger a legal battle between regulators and coal industry supporters.
In a video titled A Memo To America posted on YouTube, the US President said "it is time for America and the world to act on climate change".
A coal power plant in Cartersville, Georgia
He said: "Climate change is not a problem for another generation. Not any more.
"If you believe like I do that we can't condemn our kids and grandkids to a planet that's beyond fixing, then I'm asking you to share this message with your friends and family.
"Push your own communities to adopt smarter and more sustainable practices. Remind everyone who represents you that protecting the world we leave to our children is a prerequisite of your vote.
"Join us. We can do this."
On Sunday, the National Mining Association (NMA) said it would seek to block the plan in federal court.
Hal Quin, president of the NMA, said: "These will burden Americans with increasingly high costs for an essential service and a less reliable electric grid for delivering it."
Opponents are also expected to argue that low income homes will bear the heaviest burden to comply with the regulation.
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association said it predicted the Clean Power Plan will cause electricity prices to rise at least 10%.
The White House has said the plan is "the starting gun for an all-out climate push" by Mr Obama and his cabinet.
If implemented, it would see coal's share of electricity production in the US drop to 27% by 2030. As of last year, it accounted for 39%, according to the Department of Energy.
Natural gas, which constitutes 30% of electricity production, would remain largely the same while renewable energy would increase 6% to 28%.
The proposal is a vital part of the US meeting pledges on cuts to greenhouse emissions ahead of global climate change agreement negotiations in Paris later this year.
Washington has promised to cut gas emissions by 26 to 28% below 2005 levels by 2025.
