The EPA Talks Climate Change | StarTalk

So, climate change, is that real? Presumably, the EPA is ready to do something about it. I went straight to Gina McCarthy, the administrator of the EPA, to find out what are they doing about climate change. Let's check it out.

I'm moving forward to develop a standard that will lower carbon pollution that's fueling climate change from our power sector, the companies that generate electricity. It's extremely important for us to tackle it because they are the largest source of carbon pollution in the country.

Doing this, we're doing it by developing a rule. We put out a proposal; it's called our Clean Power Plan. Basically, it's an effort for the federal government to look at the science, for EPA to look at the science, and to say what kind of standards we can achieve over the long term. Our aim is to send a signal to the energy world that we need to be shifting towards a low carbon future.

But every state is going to translate that into their very own plan based on where they are today. That plan is going to be done in a way that meets their energy needs, doesn't threaten reliability, and doesn't change the affordability of energy for all of us. No lights are going to be shut out, but we're going to actually head towards a low carbon future and jobs of the future as well.

Andrew, is that plausible or is that, is that, yeah, hot air?

Oh no, it's totally plausible, and it's happening. A lot of the challenge with climate is that the costs come in the future, and we have this bad habit of discounting future costs. They call it a discount rate that you apply to the future.

And again, this, but this, you know, as a scientist, you go, “Wait, wait, is that like people who smoke?” They're like, “That's going to take 5 years off your life.” And you’re like, “I don’t care; I love it.” Well, in a way, that's right. The real-time benefit, whatever that might be, outweighs the future; it outweighs their sense of that future doom. Um, that someone is doing this about.