Bush's Tepid Global Warming Strategy: It's Not Working

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
Jun 03, 2006

Here's an inconvenient truth for President Bush: His voluntary attack on global warming isn't working.

The Government Accountability Office reported last week that projects begun in 2002 and 2003 to encourage private businesses to reduce greenhouse gases "appear not to be progressing at the rate expected by the sponsoring agencies."

That's an understatement.

As of November, only 38 of 74 companies in the Environmental Protection Agency's "Climate Leaders" program had set emissions reduction targets. Eleven of 15 trade groups in the Energy Department's "Climate VISION" had targets, and five had even reported their emissions. But goals varied widely in terms of measurement, geographic scope and time period. Many companies are making their goals contingent on federal paybacks, such as tax incentives or regulatory relief.

But neither the EPA nor the Energy Department seemed too concerned. The GAO found the agencies negligent by failing to set deadlines or benchmarks for progress. Neither agency spelled out consequences for scofflaws.

Even if these programs were working, results would be suspect because overlapping enrollments mean reductions could easily be counted twice, the GAO found.

A do-it-yourself approach with haphazard oversight will make no dent in global warming - which may require a whopping 60-percent emissions reduction by mid-century.

"Given the potential gravity of the climate change problem, programs such as Climate Leaders and Climate VISION will need to be especially robust and involve a substantial portion of the economy if they are going to achieve the desired results," the GAO concludes.

The GAO is far too polite.

Arctic ice is disappearing. Central American species are going extinct. Scientists predict sea-level rise that could inundate coastal populations. Two new studies this week point to a link between global warming and hurricane intensity, raising the possibility of more severe storms.

As the world's top emitter of greenhouse gases, the United States needs to lead industrial countries, not dabble in "come and play" policies.

Congress should listen to forward-thinking companies seeking mandatory carbon regulation, which they see as inevitable, given the state of the climate. Utilities, especially, want regulatory certainty now before making 20- or 30-year capital investments. Duke Energy and Exelon were among 13 companies that supported regulation during a daylong Senate hearing in April.

Treasury nominee Henry M. Paulson Jr. also supports aggressive action on global warming. As CEO of Goldman Sachs, he backed carbon trading and guided $1 billion in renewable energy investments. Perhaps he can find an ear in the White House.

Government needs to lead, not wait around for followers.