WASHINGTON - The global economic crisis has thrown a political chill over one of the main initiatives under consideration in the United States to combat global warming: the so-called cap-and-trade plan.Democratic leaders in the House and the Senate, and both presidential candidates, continue to rank tackling global warming as a chief goal next year.But the focus on stabilizing the economy probably will make it more difficult to pass a law to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. At the very least, it will push back when the reductions would have to start.As one Republican senator put it, the green bubble has burst.
"Clearly it is somewhere down the totem pole given the economic realities we are facing," said Tom Williams, a spokesman for Duke Energy Corp., an electricity producer that has supported federal mandates on greenhouse gases.Duke is a member of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, an association of businesses and non-profit groups that has lobbied Congress to act.Just months ago, chances for legislation passing in the next Congress and becoming law looked promising. The presidential candidates support mandatory cuts and a Democratic majority is ready to act on the problem after years of the Bush administration resistance.But the most popular remedy for slowing global warming, a mechanism know as cap-and-trade, could put further stress on a teetering economy.Under such a system, the government would establish a market for carbon dioxide by giving or selling credits to companies with operations that emit greenhouse gases. The companies can then choose whether to invest in technologies to reduce emissions to meet targets or instead buy credits from other companies who have already met them.In an interview with The Associated Press, Representative Rick Boucher (D-Va.), said that in light of the economic downturn, a bill that would give polluters permits free of charge would be preferable."The first way we can control program costs is by not charging industrial emitters," said Boucher, who released a first draft of a bill this past week with the chairman of the House energy and commerce committee, Representative John Dingell ( D-Mich.). Giving away right-to-pollute permits was one of the options.Other Democrats, however, see a cap-and-trade bill - and the government revenues it would generate from selling permits - as an engine for economic growth. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama supports auctioning off all permits, using the money to help fund alternative energy.
http://www.metronews.ca/edmonton/world/article/124810
source: http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/38393
I thought this article would be interesting, seening that presidential elections are coming soon, maybe this will give a a perspective of what's to come?
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wow. well, i am at least glad that our nation is finally recognizing the problem of global warming. I know it will be difficult to make any major environmental changes with the economic issues at hand, but at least we are trying to start change. The cap and trade proposal was a little confusing to me, and it seems like their could be better ways to improve our impact on the environment than that.
For once, I agree with Kyle. (The universe must be imploding.)
The cap-and-trade proposal would cost a LOT of money, and there are much better options to handle global warming. Some of those options might include a sort of "technological de-evolution", such as cutting back on factories and other things spewing horrible gasses into the atmosphere. Human beings of the modern world are just too afraid to consider these options, but I believe that it is the only way to not only prevent, but reverse global warming.
And I once heard Dr. Singh yell at a student for denying global warming. It's here, and it's happening, whether we like it or not. It's about time the government got serious about it.
I think addressing the environmental problems on an international scale won't do much when the problem is on a global scale. Although America is the worst, other nations contribute as well, and in the environmental game, the entire world is only as strong as its weakest link. We need to work out something like the Kyoto Protocol, only more reasonable. I liked Amy's idea of maybe shutting down factories and doing more things manually rather than by machines. This can act as killing two birds with one stone, because this will provide more jobs to people in a floundering economy.
Trevor, jobs like that are useless. That will just cause prices for consumer products to rise and further hurt the economy. Or, just in case it did work, the jobs would go to China, India, Korea, or Mexico and not to America, so either way it doesn't matter.
Oh, and by the way, it looks like global warming has defeated itself. Or Gov. Palin has done something right and should be voted for. Because for the first time in (26?) years Alaska's ice has expanded.
I agree with Kyle, vote Palin.Like Dana said, we should be proud that this country is actually concerned about the global warming issue is actually doing something to combat this world wide problem. The economy, I agree, would make this effort on inproving the worlds "health" diminish because we care more about the well being of the nation rather than the well being of the world as a whole.
people should stop arguing about money issues and start acting right away before its too late....
Anyone who thinks that anything any one state does in regards to global warming has limited knowledge on how climate change actually works. It's on a global scale, and as such, only the change of entire nations could effect it like that. True, Alaska's ice has frozen more, but that doesn't mean that anyone there did anything; the Earth fluctuates in miniscule amounts every year, so that does not prove anything.
it think that it's great that our nation is finally looking into the problem of global warming. But i believe there are other ways we should take care of it other than the the cap and trade proposal i think that just is way to much money there's got to be other ways to take care of the problem of global warming. Maybe instead lower the use of factory companies and other things that make our air more polluted.
changing the habits we've gotten ourselves into will be difficult, but people will need to realize that it's necessary. it's definitely scarier to think of what could happen if we don't act now rather than how it may inconvenience us to fix the problem.
and like i've said before...walking places, riding a bike...
we could help obesity too here, people...
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