Research On Changes Of American Low Carbon Economy Policy: Reason, Oirentation And Economic Performance

It is an indisputable fact because of the deterioration of the global climate and scarceresources. A number of energy and environment conferences have been held by manycountries in order to protect human living environment. These meetings have alreadymade certain achievements. We can see great progress in human consciousness onenvironmental issues according to several conventions, they are as follows.“AmericanRecovery and Reinvestment Act” was signed in1992holding the target of the reductionof global greenhouse gas emissions by50%.“Kyoto Protocol” was agreed in the formof law to limit greenhouse gas emissions in2005.“Bali Island Road Map” was drawn upin2007. The Copenhagen climate summit in Doha was held in2009, and it is said thatthis conference is a successfully climate conference.It is well known that the United States has a lukewarm attitude towards the lowcarbon economy, but the situation has changed since President Obama came to power.Nowadays the United States not only acts as a leader in the world, but also activelyparticipates in the construction of low carbon economy. President Obama took an activepart in the Copenhagen Conference in2009, and then announced the abolition of Bushgovernment’s negative climate policy nationwide. The low carbon development projectsgradually become an important part of the economic stimulus plan through thepromulgation of “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act”. It is regarded as of thevictory of low carbon economy due to President Obama’s re-election in November,2012.However, the surface changes provoke deeper thinking: what is the reason why thelow-carbon economy policy of the United States is modified? Whether the domestic andforeign factors can explain the reason? If there are other more profound reasons leadingto the convert of American low carbon economy policy? What performance has achievedduring President Obama’s first four years?According to the analysis of such logic and path, the main content of the thesis areas follows:Introduction introduces the background and significance of the research, literaturereview, the problems to be solved, innovation, and research methods. The literature review section detailed investigates the reason why the policy is changed, the policyorientation and effect of America low-carbon economic.Chapter2is the theories of low carbon economic policy and the structure of thethesis. This part puts forward the framework of "three game theory" in order to analyzeAmerica low carbon economic policy on the basis of the definition and combination oflow carbon economy.Chapter3finds that a positive tendency of America low carbon economic policyappears from President Obama through the research on the historical evolution of lowcarbon economic policy of recent governments of the United States.Chapter4，5and6make a thorough inquiry of the reason from three aspects. Theyare domestic and international incentive and constraint, American national developmentstrategy. It points that the domestic and international perspectives determine the policytendency, and this positive tendency is formulated and implemented in accordance withAmerican national development strategy after the crisis.Chapter7gives an inquiry in the policy status and contents from the foreign policyand the domestic policy of the United States. It points that America low carbon economicpolicy is composed of two parts. They are the external side and the internal side. On onehand, the external side includes four aspects. They are international cooperation,international financing, carbon tariffs, and carbon pricing. On the other hand, the internalside includes five aspects. They are climate change, strengthen energy security, cleanenergy, clean cars and buildings and emissions trading.Chapter8studies the economic performance since Obama administration. It findsthat America silently operations in the low carbon economy achieved significant results,although “Clean Energy and Security Act of2009” is not adopted wholly.Chapter9analyzes the resistance of carbon emission in current and future situation.It makes a prediction of American low carbon economic policy in Obama’s second term,and then gives some coping strategies for china.Through the above analysis, the following conclusions are drawn.Firstly, American low carbon economic policy is changed because of foreign anddomestic incentive and constraint. The foreign reasons are as follows: the internationalpublic opinion and emission reduction pressure; a threat from the development of low carbon economy in Europe and Japan; international institution and international carbonmarket conditions; a powerful platform provided by America low carbon economicdevelopment. Domestic reasons are as follows: the political party struggle; the gamebetween interest groups; local “bottom-up”; a new economic growth point; extremeclimate cost and risky factors in energy structure.Secondly, the deep reason is the change of American national development strategyafter the crisis, not only the foreign and domestic factors. The transformation ofAmerican low carbon economy policy is in line with the United States climate securitystrategy, energy security strategy, competitive strategy and the “smart power” strategy,and the national development strategy further decides the orientation and content ofAmerican low carbon economy.Finally, the effect of American new low carbon economy is obvious in the first termof the Obama administration. The total carbon emissions, carbon department emissionsand carbon emissions according to the energy classification have been reduced greatlythan previous governments. In terms of energy structure, the total energy consumptiondeclines obviously, it is the first time that the consumption of coal and oil decreases, theuse of renewable energy and nuclear power is on the rise, and shale gas revolution bringshuge energy supply for the United States.In the aspect of low carbon technology and industry, clean energy patents aresurging, the utilization rate is higher in low carbon technology, and the new energyindustrial investment continues and become strong. In the carbon trading, the carbonmarket is in a steady development, and regional carbon trading has gained remarkableachievements. California has begun to start the transaction of carbon emissions. We findit is the first time that the ratio of America’s dependence on foreign oil began to decreaseby50%, so the energy independence enhanced; and at the same time the greenemployment quantity reached3000000per year.