Ammo Against Global Warming

In 1992, the Bush administration promised to reduce the nation’s fossil fuel emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000. Since then, American leaders have spoken with great concern about the droughts, floods and other hardships that go along with global warming but have done nothing to correct the problem. Thus, while Britain and Germany have already reduced their greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels, U.S. emissions are now 9% over 1990 levels and climbing sharply.

Wednesday, however, President Clinton proposed what could be the nation’s first real step beyond rhetoric. The president’s goal--to bring U.S. emissions to 1990 levels by 2008--is modest compared to his campaign promises. But if Congress allows him to commit to it at a December summit on global warming in Kyoto, Japan, it will become legally binding.

The president needs congressional support, for the Senate must approve any treaty coming out of Kyoto. To get that support, Clinton will have to win over two groups of critics. The first wants him to commit the United States to reductions only if developing nations like China and India agree to limit their emissions as well. It’s a reasonable request, given that those nations are expected to cause two-thirds of the world’s emissions by 2025. The second group wrongly dismisses the president’s plan as too expensive. In fact, it would accomplish most reductions quite cheaply by, for example, closing a loophole in U.S. tax law that allows old, dirty coal-burning power plants to pay less in taxes than new, ecologically friendlier plants.

The president has asked Congress for $5 billion in tax incentives to spur development of advanced energy systems like fuel cells, which could reduce vehicle emissions by 90% while raising automobile fuel efficiency to 80 miles per gallon. The cost to the economy would be recouped in lower fuel consumption.

There would be small sacrifices in reaching the goals that Clinton proposes. But we’ve seen how little is accomplished by mere promises and good intentions. This time around, it’s imperative that Congress vote emission reductions into a binding treaty.