Saving the planet? During his second inaugural address in January, US President Barack Obama vowed to respond to the threat of climate change, expressing that its negligence would “betray our children and future generations”.

His speech on Tuesday was billed as proof of the seriousness with which he took that pledge. Central to his plan to cut greenhouse gasses is an attempt to place the first ever US federal regulations on carbon emissions from existing power plants and future ones. Obama is concerned due to the fact that 40 percent of US carbon dioxide is generated by power plants.