Germany/USA - If there is one topic the new U.S. Congress needs to take up, it's global warming. A McCain-Lieberman bill that would have America comply with emission standards similar to those called for by the Kyoto Treatyis getting nowhere in the Senate. The bill is in line with the legislation that California has put in place and that some New England states are emulating. No international treaties are needed. The U.S. can do it. All that is needed is political will.
The U.S. does not need to like the Kyoto Treaty. There are other ways to reduce emissions. The U.S. does not need to talk about "global warming." "Energy independence" is fine for now as long as the new sources of energy are clean. In the end, there will be no energy independence without conservation.
The six years of the Bush administration have been six years lost in this respect. But the world has no time to lose. The U.S. is by far the biggest polluter. It must lead the way to reducing emissions. The U.S. should want to lead the way because if done right, clean energy creates jobs.
Today my home country, Germany, along with a few other European countries, leads the way in producing renewables and clean energy technology. These industries fear the day when the U.S. enters the race, calling for a man-to-moon-scale project. If only their fear was warranted.
Please e-mail PostGlobal if you'd like to receive an email notification when PostGlobal sends out a new question.
Email This Post to a Friend | Del.icio.us | Digg | Facebook | Email the Author
