False choice: Inaction on global warming is no option
The House Energy and Commerce Committee last week took a major step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It approved a bill that would cap releases of heat-trapping gases and create a national market to trade pollution credits.
The bill comes on the eve of talks that will set the stage for a new international treaty to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The old treaty — the much-discussed Kyoto Protocol that the United States refused to sign — is set to expire in 2012.
Any new agreement will have to ask more of developing countries — including China and India — that were exempted from previous limits. But the United States can’t credibly ask them to reduce their emissions if it refuses to curb its own.
The climate change bill approved last week faces many serious challenges before it can be considered by the full House of Representatives. It already has been watered down to satisfy some powerful interests. But that hasn’t stopped critics from mounting a major disinformation campaign to defeat it.
At the heart of this disinformation campaign is a false choice — vote for the so-called cap-and-trade bill and face higher energy prices, or do nothing and keep costs low. It’s a seductive but specious argument.
In reality, the status quo comes at an unsustainable cost. Global warming already is occurring. Even if all greenhouse gas emissions stopped tomorrow, the effects would be felt for decades.
Climate change imposes very real costs on all of us, on our children and on our grandchildren. We are subsidizing current energy prices at the expense of our progeny. The longer we defer payment, the higher those costs will be.
In a landmark 2006 report, the British Government Economic Service warned that delay could reduce the world’s gross domestic product by between 5 percent and 20 percent. That would occur because of a simultaneous need to switch from carbon-based energy to some other source and to address negative effects of climate change that were decades in the making.
It’s as if we are financing our lifestyle with an interest-only mortgage. There’s a big balloon payment looming in our future, but we’ve refused to set anything aside to pay it.
As originally proposed, the cap-and-trade system would have required companies to bid for permits that would allow them to emit greenhouse gases.
The idea was to encourage them to reduce emissions and reward those that succeeded. Companies that failed to cut back would pay a penalty; they’d buy permits from the companies that no longer needed them.
But that’s not how the bill approved last week works. Most permits would be given away, many to utilities like Ameren that generate electricity by burning coal.
Giving away permits reduces the financial impact on consumers. But it also substitutes political considerations for market forces to determine who gets to pollute. Favored industries like electric companies get lots of credits. Less favored industries like oil companies get very few.
Despite those drawbacks, the cap-and-trade bill represents an important advance because it has a realistic chance of being approved.
If we do not start reducing our global warming liabilities now, we will be overwhelmed with the debt later. We can’t do that by wallowing in denial.
John G Carlton -
It is also obvious that you don’t understand what the IPCC is, how papers from it are written and verified, etc.
http://townhall.com/columnists/MarkWHendrickson/2009/05/25/a_closer_look_at_climate_change?page=full&comments=true
The only people believing “scientific fact” with no supported science are creationists and the Global Warming crowd.
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_scientific_method.shtml
Please go to this link and see how the scientific method occurs. Just a little hint here, computer modeling with no substantiated proof does not make science. Painting opposing scientists as archaic because they do not believe your hypothesis dost not make science. Debate and experimentation is part of science. Saying what you will do, hypothsizing what will happen and then getting actual proof is science.
This is not science, this is politics.
Kudos to the P-D. Don’t let the “can’t do it” crowd and trolls get you down.
Folks complaining about the fear mongering over climate change do are active with a pretty big scare campaign. The problem is that the economic, security, business and science communities all agree that this action needs to be taken. A price on the carbon pollution being dumped into our atmosphere is central to taking positive action that will clean our air, create jobs, and buoy our economy.
The disinformation on energy prices out there is shocking—but the scarier numbers come when you look at the cost of inaction; likely 3.6% of GDP and horrific international security issues brought on by limited resources and millions of climate refugees - http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/cost/contents.asp
We simply cannot afford to do nothing.
jjk - actually re-read the editorial. The writer did use the new term “climate change” thus inadvertantly admitting that the envirowackos are trying to quietly change the term global warming to climate change without actually admitting it and that Al Gore is not a truthful man who still flies around in his own jet. Talk about someone “playing upon our fears.”
Where is the editorial on global cooling which has been occuring since 1998?
Or what about windfarms killing animals?
http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2009/05/green-death-wind-farm-kills-taiwanese.html
Has the PD EP reported yet that the feds are thinking of imposing a V.A. tax to pay for John’s socialized healthcare?
In fact, where have all the Democrats gone on this blog defending their president now like they did during his media-enhanced election?
Well folks, this is what you voted for.
Easy Choice: Man made emissions do not cause global warming…the sun does.
China and India will not lower anything regardless of who asks.
Gas and coal are the fuel of choice because they are cheap. Taxing them will cause higher costs on everything for everyone.
Those that wish to return to their roots and enjoy the hunter gatherer life style should feel free to do so.
After the cap and trade tax is passed on to the consumer coupled with the VAT tax to pay for lower quality health care we wont be able to afford to drive cars or heat/cool our homes. Our children and grandchildren already bare the burden of this irresponsible unprecedented spending spree. Stop spending and lower taxes.
The same folks shouting economic doom and gloom on this issue said that the cap and trade system set up to end acid rain would destroy industry in the US. It did not. The bill discussed in congress will spur the economy by leveling the energy playing field and send a market signal to create a clean energy industry that will buoy the national economy…
…oh, and it will get us started towards finally dealing with the whole looming climate change problem too…
It’s amazing how the new administration and media are completely ignoring and refusing to debate the vast majority of America that have questions about any climate change regulation & the science itself. It feels very dictatorial and our voice seems quite suppressed in many ways. Most of the truly informed understand and are beginning to realize that we’re being fed baloney in regards to the health of the economy, global warming, our overseas affairs, etc.
I think pollution and our environment are both indeed very important - yet there are so many rational ways in which we can make things better that won’t further degrade our phony economy.
While the President belittles all of ‘those people waving around teabags,’ our country is becoming yet more divisive as it’s either the new way or the highway. The number of Independents in America is rising by the day - being fueled by both sides of the two-headed monster. I wish the President well and hope that he comes around, but I really feel that it’s just more of the same.
You’re not qualified to discuss the science of it.
I’m not qualified to discuss the science of it.
You’re qualified to peddle the unproven Anthropogenic Global Warming theme.
I’m qualified to point out that you’re peddling the hoax.
Have been through this Kabuki dance with you and Eric Mink numerous times.
You’re unable to dispute that the “Hockey Stick Graph” — the foundation on which the United Nations Environmental Program / IPCC rests — has been debunked.
You’re unable to dispute that James Hansen’s work ( he’s the “father” of the Anthropogenic Global Warming hoax ) has been explicitly disavowed by his NASA bosses.
You stick to peddling the nincompoopery.
We’ll continue to, in general terms, tell you what we think of it.
http://tinyurl.com/scientists-opposing-mainstream
Josh -
YEah, acid rain, where is that occuring now, I thought that was supposed to detroy the planet. Also, how about the ozone layer? What about DDT and it’s link to cancer, and silicone breast implants and their link, and electromagnetic fields and their link. All this stuff has been shown to be bunk and/or greatly exaggerated by organizations such as yours. You have zero credibility here.
How much money was wasted hunting down these bogus arguments? How many people died from malaria because of the lack of DDT? How much money will GW cost? Will there be any benefits to what we do, if it does exist?
Science and politics don’t mix. Let’s have some debate and figure out what the truth is, not let some political organization with an agenda define what is true or not. This isn’t communist Russia. Quit shutting down the debate.
Have a little patience, folks. Iran and North Korea will soon offset global warming with nuclear winter.
Meanwhile:
The U.S. taxpayers and consumers have not cured world poverty or famine by throwing money at the International Monetary Fund or World Bank. We have not cured war or terrorist acts by throwing money at the United Nations. We have not cured trade inequities by throwing favors and money at our trading partners.
And guess what:
We will not cure climate change by throwing money at underdeveloped nations or by sacrificing our living standards on the global warming altar.