“A nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the 21st century global economy. . . . We can let the jobs of tomorrow be created abroad, or we can choose to create them right here in America. We can yield the head start to other countries, or we can embrace the opportunity to lead. . . . That is why we must invest in clean energy technology, and that is why we must place a limit on the carbon pollution that threatens our planet.”
—President Barack Obama, Speech on Energy Security and Climate Change, 2009
The debate surrounding the policy goals outlined in the excerpt most directly reflects which of the following political trends in the early twenty-first century?
- Growing partisan division over the scope of federal regulatory power to address climate changeAnswer
- BA consensus that supply-side tax cuts are the primary tool for funding renewable energy infrastructure
- CA return to Gilded Age laissez-faire policies that exempted energy corporations from federal oversight
- DA rejection of international trade agreements in favor of absolute diplomatic and economic isolationism
Answer
Growing partisan division over the scope of federal regulatory power to address climate change
The correct answer is correct because the excerpt highlights a key tenet of twenty-first-century environmental debates: the push for federal regulations (such as placing a limit on carbon pollution) and investment in clean energy. This policy agenda faced substantial partisan opposition from critics who argued that federal climate regulations harm American businesses, increase energy costs, and exceed the constitutional authority of the executive branch.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
21st-Century Environmental Challenges and Energy Policy
Estimated Time:2m 0s