Obama’s Promise on Climate Action: The State of the Union and the Power of Symbolism

Take action on climate change, or I’ll do it by myself.

That was one of the many challenges President Obama issued to Congress last night.

The president has a number of tools he can use, from regulating C-O-2 emissions, to ramping up efficiency standards for homes and businesses.

But whatever the results of his challenge, the words themselves were welcomed by many in the U-S and beyond who’ve been pushing for strong action to address global warming.

Among them is Bill Hare, a physicist and director of an outfit called Climate Analytics, in Berlin, which helps governments try to bridge the gap between the science and policy of climate change.