All it really takes is a quick glance at the headlines: Maybe things are getting better in Afghanistan – and maybe not. Maybe the oil spill in the Gulf is getting better – and maybe not. Maybe the economy is picking up – and maybe not. Maybe the tornados and hurricanes and heat waves and cold spells and droughts and floods are no more than usual – and maybe not. The list goes on.
All it really takes is a quick glance at such headlines to realize that the 2 things leaders on climate change most want, (1) a cap on greenhouse gas emissions incorporating a mechanism to implement it and (2) incentives to drive the building of New Energy and Energy Efficiency, are answers not just to the problem of climate change and not just the answers to more and cleaner energy, but the answers to the whole host of woes screaming from the headlines.
About the only thing strong action against climate change won’t do is pick the next Supreme Court Justice. That, at least, is (hopefully) not beyond the capabilities of the Senate.
The Case for Action; Creating a Clean Energy Future, from the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, cogently makes the case for across-the-board action on climate and energy. It is worth reviewing the arguments because the crucial Senate fight over climate and energy legislation – surely the last chance for such legislation before the coming election – will (barring the unforeseen) come to the Senate floor soon after the 4th of July holiday. Seeking to exploit common ground discovered in the wake of the national abhorrence of the Gulf oil spill, Senate Oil Savings’ Greatest Hits; The Best Provisions to Cut Our Consumption, from Daniel J. Weiss and Susan Lyon of the Center for American Progress (CAP), suggests some specific measures to control the nation’s addiction to oil, points of bi-partisan agreement that could smooth the way in the Senate.
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