No Rush On Global Warming

The New Republic: Moderate Legislation Worse Than None With Climate Change

(The New Republic)  This column was written by the Editors of The New Republic.

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Not long after George W. Bush proudly declared last year that he had no intention of watching Al Gore's “An Inconvenient Truth,” he told reporters that there was a "fundamental debate" about whether global warming was "manmade or natural." It was an ignorant statement utterly at odds with the scientific consensus. Recently, however, he tried to walk it back. "Beginning in June 2001," read a White House letter released last month, "President Bush has consistently acknowledged climate change is occurring and humans are contributing to the problem." (A second letter claiming that the White House consistently acknowledged that Saddam Hussein had no WMD is said to be forthcoming.)

Revisionism aside, it's nice to see the administration swear off pointless skepticism about the science of global warming. Indeed, as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change prepares to release its latest report, declaring with 90 percent certainty that manmade greenhouse gases are heating the planet, the debate over global warming has shifted. Erstwhile skeptics are scattering for cover. Businesses are lining up in support of a mandatory cap on carbon emissions. Democrats have declared the issue a top priority.

It's not a moment too soon. To stave off melting ice sheets, rising sea levels, and other potentially calamitous effects of large-scale climate change, we should have started working to stabilize carbon-dioxide levels in the atmosphere years ago. But, while there are unimpeachable policy grounds for rushing to action, the political logic of hastily moving forward is less convincing. Public alarm over global warming is just beginning to build. And the president, despite his shift in rhetoric, still opposes mandatory reductions in emissions. If Democrats in Congress act tomorrow and produce a bill that can pass muster with the White House, they will end up with an inadequate half-measure that could deflate the growing pressure to act meaningfully.

Consider the current raft of climate-change legislation. The only piece that has a chance of surviving a GOP filibuster and Bush veto is one sponsored by New Mexico Senator Jeff Bingaman. His bill would implement a cap-and-trade regime, setting a national limit on carbon emissions and allowing companies to buy and sell pollution credits — a system that worked with acid-rain legislation in the 1990s. But Bingaman's proposal includes "safety valves" that give companies an out, and it doesn't reduce emissions quickly enough. Unfortunately, stronger bills — such as one sponsored by John McCain, Joe Lieberman, and Barack Obama — stand almost no chance, even with the current Democratic majority. (Last time around, that bill netted only 38 votes.)

Democrats, eager to show that they are capable of governing, could rally around Bingaman's toothless bill. Or they could pursue a course that offers the promise of truly meaningful action: They should embrace the strongest bill possible, suffer a Senate filibuster or Bush veto, raise public awareness, and simply bide their time until 2008. Most political observers like the Democrats' chances of picking up seats in the Senate then, and nearly all of the leading presidential contenders — from McCain to Hillary Clinton — take climate change more seriously than Bush. Public pressure will also continue to intensify (already, the Climate Action Partnership, a coalition of companies led by GE and Duke Energy, is pushing for legislation along the lines of McCain-Lieberman-Obama). Then, and only then, will effective action be possible.

Waiting, of course, entails potentially grave risks — especially since the process of reducing emissions is likely to move slowly no matter what. For one thing, wending any meaningful piece of legislation past retrograde committee chairmen and meddling industry lobbyists will take years. For another, averting drastic climate change will involve a mix of emissions caps and mandates for renewable energy — all of which will take time to perfect. The cap-and-trade regime in Europe has faltered in its early stages, suggesting that any new system will invariably arrive with kinks that need to be worked out.

But what other choice is there? Thus far, on issues ranging from the minimum wage to Medicare, congressional Democrats have, appropriately, crafted moderate legislation that has some chance of passing, rather than trying to jam through ambitious policies that would only get smacked down by the White House. After all, a modest minimum-wage hike beats none at all. But climate change is different. There won't be many chances to get this right, and Democrats will need to wait until they can go for broke.

[victoriarum]

Fear not the stupidity of idiotic human
language, as they fear thy self in human soul.

www.victoriasecretshow.com

God Bless

[erasmus6]

Here's a little story.
My father-in-law was an alcholic. He sat downstairs drinking and watching tv. My mother-in-law sat upstairs crocheting and watching tv. The family went over to their house to get the father to go to AA. The mother had an absolute conniption fit! WHY? because it meant CHANGE!!! A change to her lifestyle if he got better. Change is scary to a lot of people. It takes work and people are lazy. The father is long dead now. He died of liver damage and stomach cancer because he and the mother didn't want their lifestyles to CHANGE! What do I say? GET THE **** OVER IT!! Get off your lazy ***s and do something. It will make your life better in the long run, even if you don't believe in global warming.

[hypnotoad72]

How does one say "This has to be done, so let's do it." without coming across as being a fascist?

Light rail, public transport, pressure to bring back the electric car if not superior hybrids... lead acid instead of lithium batteries; the solutions aren't based on sci-fi or limits to science, we can do it now. So why not?

Even peoples's desire to live 50 miles away from work - S.T.U.P.I.D. - can't spell it out any more simply than that. What is wrong with living close to work? Save driving for the weekends to go to the park? Reverse the scenario and the amount of gasoline used diminishes.

[crater7]

IT IS CLEAR, THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION IS IN DENIAL THAT GLOBAL WARMING IS MAN MADE. NOT ONLY THAT THE UNITED STATES IS PART OF THE PROBLEM, HIS CURRENT CHINA TRADE POLICY'S CONTRIBUTES TO THE PROBLEM.
SINCE O1, OVER 3 MILLION JOBS HAVE BEEN LOST, THE TRADE DEFICIT HAS SOARED FROM 83 BILLION TO OVER 232 BILLION, AND CLIMBING. CHINA CONTINUES TO BUILD FACTORIES AND SUCK UP AMERICAN JOBS, AND MILLIONS OF DOLLORS FROM THE AMERICAN ECONOMY. THESE FACTORIES ONLY ADD TO THE GLOBAL WARMING PROBLEM. MORE OF THE SAME TO COME. STAY TUNED.

[ressigmann]

to condumism
Congratulations #'s 1,3,4,5,7,8,9,&12 all describe our founding fathers.
2-obviously you feel murdering terrorists should
be codled instead of punished
6-as you can make this post freely you disprove
your own point
10-Democrats are doing more to supress labor with
their attempts to remove secret ballots from
labor elections over whether to unionize than
anyone else
11-highly subjective opinion on your part
13&15-liberals fit both of these too a tee
14-if you have proof go to a judge and press
charges

[jimfinster]

OlGreyGhost:

Dude, you sound seriously paranoid. I am not joking, you need some counseling...

[erasmus6]

OlGreyGhost
I am beginning to think you are an alien from another planet.

[olgreyghost]

There are many people in blind support of this issue. It's a waste of time to debate with them, because they do not know or care what the facts are - and they intend to take over your life regardless if you want to maintain control over it or not and they will insult, degrade, malign, slander, libel, arrest, imprison, and eventually execute you if you resist...

[jimfinster]

There are many people in denial about this issue. It is a waste of time to debate with them, because they do not know or care what the facts are...

[condumism]

Definition of a FASCIST, ie: an AMERICAN GOPig:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
4. Supremacy of the Military
5. Rampant Sexism
6. Controlled Mass Media
7. Obsession with National Security
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined
9. Corporate Power is Protected
10. Labor Power is Suppressed
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
14. Fraudulent Elections
15. DENIAL of all of the above!

[bamuttra]

HawkSprings,

Let's say that I told you that scientists say that eating fast food is bad for you, and we shouldn't eat fast food. Now let's say that after I tell you that, you see me eating at McDonalds. Do you really believe that would somehow prove that the scientists are wrong? It sure sounds like that is what you are saying.

Sounds to me like somebody doesn't like the message, so their only recourse is to shoot the messenger.

[scott4261]

Hawk really just thinks he's being funny. He has been following my posts on many different threads telling me that he'll campaign for Gore as a Green Party candidate. "Me from the right and you from the left," he tells me. It's really laughable, this neo-con nutjob who beleives global warming is a hoax is going to campaign for someone he has called a fraud. What a joke! Yet he'll carry water for the ******* currently occupying the White House 'til the cows come home! Amazing!

[erasmus6]

HawkSprings
It is you and people like you that are the problem, not Al Gore. He is just an excuse for you to remain stupid.

[erasmus6]

HawkSprings
WOW, you really are obsessed with Al Gore aren't you. Like I said- what are you doing? The fact is if it wasn't for Al Gore nobody would be doing anything even now! It is he who has brought it to everyones attention. I am not saying others haven't tried, but it is this movie that has gotten people motivated. Get over the obsession, you are beginning to sound like an idiot. Concentrate more on what you are doing and less on him.

[skyk-2009]

Algore is part of the problem, not the solution.

.

Posted by HawkSprings at 02:13 PM : Mar 03, 2007

Okay! Would EVERYONE just stand up and shout WE HATE AL Gore for this pathetic Nazi so he'll sit down and shut up! God you people are SO simple minded it's unbelievable! Now are you happy? EVERYONE has said they hate Al Gore for you... now can we all get back to discussing this issue. Whew!!! Sieg Heil!!

[skyk-2009]

If we're all going to die of greenhouse gas caused calamities, why didn't they do anything about it then?

It's because they don't believe it's that bad themselves.

.
Posted by HawkSprings at 12:30 PM : Mar 03, 2007


Why do you fascist ask a question then answer it for everyone? LMAO Is it that you want to make SURE you get the right answer? Is it because any other answer will not properly allow you to focus you hatred at the people you want. I mean you ARE not addressing the issue of Global Warning here at all sparky. You are just practicing Fascism and not doing it real well at that. Why would you want to get a debate going about what happened BEFORE the Scientist reports involved? Maybe you should read something besides the Reich Propaganda rags Sparky. After all if we all read those rags NO ONE would have know about the VA Hospitials AND we'd all still be thinking we were winning in Iraq now wouldn't we? Sieg Heil Sparky!! ROFLMAO

[skyk-2009]

Well erasmus, Algore isn't doing it either.
But he is getting rich off telling others to do it. That's the Inconvenient Truth.

.
Posted by HawkSprings at 02:41 PM : Mar 03, 2007

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHA Now that's funny. A fascist claiming to know the TRUTH about anything!

[erasmus6]

HawkSprings
Did you see the article "Gore defends Mansions Power Consumption"? He is doing things, you just don't know what they are. What are you doing? Should he have 3 houses? no probably not but as long as he is changing what he is doing in those houses (lights,energy efficient appliances,recycle etc.etc.etc...)at least he is doing something. Everyone needs to concentrate on themselves and what they are doing. If you didn't read the article- go to the heading "POLITIC NEWS" then click on "More politics news stories" then scroll down and click on "More stories inside this section" then click on Gore Defends Mansions Power Consumption". THEN MOVE ON!

[hawksprings]

Well erasmus, Algore isn't doing it either.
But he is getting rich off telling others to do it. That's the Inconvenient Truth.

.

[doctor--o]

Pick a topic.
Any topic.
The Bush administration is the worst thing that has ever happened to this country.

As for the latest right wing nonsense about Al Gore; just think swift boat.
Diversionary nonsense from people only skilled in political mud slinging.Propaganda terrorists who succeed simply by getting media attention.