World Resources Institute / George Mason University
Andrew Light is a distinguished senior fellow at the World Resources Institute and a professor director of the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy at George Mason University.
A former senior adviser to the US Special Envoy on Climate Change, he is one of the architects of the Paris Agreement.
US watching from sidelines of global climate conference In Bonn, Germany, negotiators are trying to sharpen the fine points of the Paris Climate Accord, and US diplomats are in attendance. But they have limitations, given that President Trump has pledged to withdraw from the Accord. The US can't officially pull out until the year 2020. So what are US negotiators up to at this week's meetings ? We ask Andrew Light, an architect of the Paris Accord for the Obama Administration. Now a distinguished senior fellow at the World Resources Institute, Light considers the roles of the US, China and California Governor Jerry Brown.
Trump likely to pull US out of Paris Climate Agreement Syria and Nicaragua are the only nations that have refused to be part of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The only other holdout — Uzbekistan -- got on board last month. But just last month, President Trump called it too costly for America. "It's estimated that full compliance with the agreement could ultimate shrink America's GDP by $2.5 trillion over a ten-year period that means factories and plants closing – here we go again. Not with me folks!" Trump has reportedly decided to make good on that promise, after completing a round of meetings with his divided cabinet. We hear what that could mean for international relations, America's leadership role in the world — and the effort to put the brakes on climate change. What's in store for America's economy and the creation of jobs? Photo: The Eiffel tower is illuminated in green with the words "Paris Agreement is Done," to celebrate the Paris UN COP21 Climate Change agreement in Paris, France, November 4, 2016. (Jacky Naegelen/Reuters)
Trump tackles Obama's legacy on global warming The EPA and other agencies can now ignore rising seas, ocean acidification, heat waves and drought — which most scientists attribute to climate change. President Trump doesn't accept it, and he's revoking Obama Administration limits on the oil and coal industries in the interests of "energy independence." Several states plan to fight him every step of the way, and economics now favor energy from natural gas, the sun and the wind. We hear what's next for the Clean Power Plan , the Paris Agreements and the strengths and limits of presidential power.
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.