Europeans stew and Chu over U.S. climate bill
WHERE'S THE LOVE? Energy Secretary Steven Chu
Hey, guys give us a break.
Five days days after a key U.S. House committee approved landmark climate change legislation, European environmental groups are expected to greet Energy Secretary Steven Chu with protests. And Ban
OK, I know the Waxman-Markey bill, which includes a carbon cap-and-trade system and hard targets for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, ain’t perfect. And, yes, I was disappointed when Chu indicated last month that he wouldn’t fight some new coal power plants.
But a serious U.S. push — finally — to address carbon should be welcome. It gives both Europeans and enviros a chance to show that they’re not just scolds. A dose of positive reinforcement might actually help give the legislation some of the momentum it’ll need to make it’s way through the Senate.
Then, again the two biggest European governments are showing us the love in a way I’m not sure they should. They’re willing to let us off the hook for big (25 percent) carbon reductions just because we’ve been such laggards on the issue.
Don’t grade us on a curve when it looks as if everyone’s gonna need even bigger carbon reductions. At the same time, give us a bit of positive reinforcement. Headlines from Europe that show some appreciation for us finally doing might help build instill a bit of political will to do more.
This guy has it about right.
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