The tail is now wagging the dog in U.S. climate-change struggle
As the world prepares to meet in Bali next month at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to negotiate a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, U.S. governors have decided to take action at home.
Weary of Congressional foot-dragging, the governors have made regional agreements on global warming and joined hands in a concerted bid to generate public and political support for legislation now before the Senate. But can anything meaningful take place while President Bush is still in office?
Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, Jon Huntsman Jr. of Utah and Brian Schweitzer of Montana launched the drive this week with 30-second ad spots talking about the threat posed by greenhouse gas emissions.
The campaign is underwritten by Environmental Defense, an advocacy group pressing for quick action on a climate-change proposal by Senators Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut and John W. Warner of Virginia that would cap carbon emissions at 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and establish a trading system for industries to meet the goals.
Environmental Defense is spending $3 million to broadcast the advertisement, which will appear in 17 markets in 11 states over the next few weeks. The ad will also appear during the Sunday morning talk shows on Nov. 25.
In addition, nine Midwestern governors and the premier of Manitoba have signed an agreement to reduce carbon emissions and set up a trading system to meet reduction targets. The Midwestern accord is modeled on similar regional arrangements among Northeastern, Southwestern and West Coast states.
The governors, who did not receive a fee for appearing in the advertisement, say state leaders are moving to reduce climate-affecting emissions, but federal leaders have so far failed to pass any significant legislation on climate change or energy.
“In state after state, we’re taking action,” the governors say, taking turns speaking. “Now it’s time for Congress to act by capping greenhouse gas pollution.”
Governor James Doyle of Wisconsin said a national cap-and-trade system is unlikely before Bush leaves office but "we will have one in the Midwestern region on a scale that can work."
If only we could go back in time
"As the world prepares to meet in Bali next month at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to negotiate a predecessor to the Kyoto Protocol" -- surely you mean successor rather than predecessor.
Thanks
Good catch. I also agree it would be nice to go back in time. Cheers
Watch the ad with the 3 governors
Here's a link to the 30-second ad:
www.environmentaldefense.org/leadership
Governors and global warming
It's all coming about a little late, but the work that IPCC has done -- emboldening politicians to become environmental activists -- is really commendable. Objective science that's advancing the argument. It's encouraging to see the biodiversity people now following that game plan, with IUCN (World Conservation Union) this weekend convening people in France to create an IPCC-like organization to generate the research and reports to build a global discussion about the sixth mass extinction. I have a link to story on my frog blog. http://frogmatters.wordpress.com/2007/11/16/global-warming-squeezing-out-biodiversity-debate/
Love your blog
If, in fact, AGW has relegated the biodiversity crisis to the status of "country cousin", at least you can take comfort in the knowledge that it has also awakened many to the risks of mass extinctions caused by global warming. The IPCC is a great model for the IUCN. Ultimately, we will probably find the two issues begin to merge and find common ground in developing solutions.
I think that dog should have
I think that dog should have to be in dog houses because everyone has its own place and its own value. Its true and an admitted fact as well.