Posted: Sunday, September 30, 2007 12:00 am
President Bush took a step in the right direction last week in addressing global warming. He still has a long way to go, but it/s a mildly encouraging sign, nonetheless.
Among the positive developments at a White House conference on global warming were Bush/s speech calling for the world/s worst polluters 7 including the United States 7 to jointly set a goal for reducing greenhouse gases that are causing the climate to heat up.
It/s also notable that Bush has left the dwindling ranks of global-warming deniers and has acknowledged 7 including in a speech Friday 7 that climate change is real and that human activity is a factor.
All of this was, as a German environmental official said, “a small step for mankind,C but a “great stepC for Bush and America.
Conveniently, Bush/s initiatives in the area of global warming and climate change would all be left to his successors, but at least we seem to have moved past the debate over whether there even is a problem. There is, and it/s one that has profound implications for future generations.
The cold, hard fact is that climate change will not be effectively addressed through the mostly voluntary strategies outlined by the president. And we cannot 7 as a nation and world 7 allow economic growth to be the super-trump card that prevents needed action on global warming.
There should be little debate remaining about the need for mandatory reduction of greenhouse gases. Certainly other strategies will be needed as well, including development of new technologies that will save energy and reduce emissions. To suggest otherwise is wishful thinking.
There were 16 nations taking part in last week/s summit, and a U.N. official correctly noted that “this relatively small group of countries holds a key to tackling a big part of the problem.C
Strong leadership will be the key to real progress on climate change, and ultimately that is unlikely to come from Bush. We should be asking much more from our elected officials in Congress, and from the men and women vying to become our next president.
After the president/s small step, it/s time for some giant leaps.
October 1, 2007