The road to reducing greenhouse gas emissions gets a lot rougher when laudable principle turns into policies that could make for difficult economic choices.
That’s the reality members of Congress and President Bush are encountering as they try to address this imperative environmental issue.
Nevertheless, the American public is counting on them for leadership on the issue.
Unfortunately, politics are winning out over sound public stewardship.
The president long has said mandatory caps on carbon emissions would cripple the U.S. economy. While he has recently spoken up for the need to tackle global warming, he has shown no support for compulsory limits.
Bush’s end-run last week around a strong plan to combat global warming presented at the Group of Eight summit in Germany was embarrassing.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel had set the stage for negotiations on a pact to cut worldwide carbon emissions in half by 2050. But President Bush effectively pushed that effort off the table when he offered a substitute for proceeding on global warming that would make emissions caps voluntary.
The climate change accord that ultimately passed was a far cry from Merkel’s bold plan. The nations agreed to “seriously consider” a 50 percent reduction in global emissions by 2050.
Many, including Merkel, painted a happy face on the meeting, noting the shift in policy that brought the U.S. to the table. Unfortunately, it was a baby step when a giant step was necessary.
It’s becoming ever more clear from recent reports by the world’s top scientists that climate change is a real threat to the planet. The newly elected Democratic Congress seemed to be taking the danger seriously and talked fervently of the legislation promoting clean energy, emissions regulations and higher fuel standards.
But when policy that has the potential to shake the country’s economic foundation is up for debate, those with vested interests come out in force. Such was the case with the auto industry, whose executives last week predicted disaster if Congress were too aggressive about increasing fuel economy standards.
U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., long a friend to the industry, is pitching a bill that would set even weaker mileage standards than those pitched by President Bush, and it would block efforts by California and 11 other states seeking to regulate tailpipe emissions.
Nobody said upending the energy infrastructure of this country would be easy. The gravity of the world’s climate change problems will entail difficult choices that require sacrifice from the public and vision from our elected officials.
We hope they’re up to the task.
