On November 28th the United Nations Climate Change Conference will begin their 17th annual negotiations in Durban, South Africa. Representatives from 194 countries will make the trip, however an ever dwindling number of them will be high officials, just one of many signals suggesting low expectations.
Like usual the US, the largest per capita emitter of greenhouse gases, will again fail to show leadership or provide the example to put local and international criticisms at rest.
President Obama’s proposed American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 aimed at installing a comprehensive cap and trade system for carbon emissions. The stated reduction goals aimed at bringing greenhouse gas emissions to 3 percent below 2005 levels by 2012, 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, and 83 percent below 2005 levels by 2050.
Whether or not these ambitious aims would have been accomplished we will never know, the House barely passed the measure while the bill fell under the swift guillotine of the Senate.
All the US has to bring to the table in terms of broad climate based legislation is revised fuel efficiency standards for vehicles and some minor efficiency changes. Meanwhile, the EU is making efforts to reduce emissions by 30 percent of 1990 levels, China is imposing a pilot cap and trade scheme by 2013, Japan already has one, and Australia just imposed a progressive carbon tax.
The bulk of nations are all pursuing similar strategies. In fact, there are simply too many efforts being made internationally to even give cursory mention in so short an article.
It seems that since the international arena, so evidently lacking leadership, has failed to impose universal climate policy standards, most nations have decided to come up with their own policies.
All except the United States.
Enhanced fuel efficiency standards are welcome progress in the otherwise barren world of federal environmental policy. Their broad acceptance goes to show strategic, well-planned policy designed to change the incentive structure of manufacturers and consumers can orient the market towards more efficient means.
If we want to compete in the growing renewables markets we have to reorient our economy. This wont happen with an idling, fume spewing Congress.
The US is holding the whole world back with its conservative bending, regressive outlook. At this rate it looks like one day we will be one of the advanced countries who has made the least number of advances, even compared to many developing countries.
If the republicans manage to pull out majorities in Congress, and put a Republican in the White House, we might as well go back to the stone age and bring out the steam engine. Perry cares so much about the EPA he can’t even remember what its called. And the last few days Romney has jokingly been calling himself a “serial exhaler of carbon dioxide” when bashing the already too limited scope of the EPA.
Its time for the international community to put some heavy pressure on the US to change its ways. Now is the time – and Durban is the place to do it.
