In the 37 years since the first Earth Day, much has changed in the field of climate science. There is now a strong consensus throughout the scientific community that the world is warming. There is also consensus that much of this warming is the result of human activities, including carbon dioxide pollution, the release of other greenhouse gases and deforestation.
For Earth Day, citizens are coming together to increase awareness of climate change and solutions to the problem. So where does the Bush Administration fit into this?
As a result of the public outcry spurred by high gas prices following Hurricane Katrina, the administration belatedly recognized the need to conserve oil. President Bush acknowledged that the planet is warming and that the United States is too dependent on oil. But the administration still refuses to address the issue of global warming by calling for more scientific research. This despite the fact that several governmental bodies, including the National Academies of Science, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, continue to report that climate change is occurring at an alarming rate and needs to be addressed. Furthermore, there have been numerous reports of government researchers being stifled from speaking out to the media [1], data in climate change reports being downplayed [2], and of the president distancing himself from research that is not favored by his supporters [3].
Instead, the Bush Administration has countered with "clean" coal research, the expansion of subsidies for nuclear energy, and the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative – a way to speed America into the clean-burning hydrogen economy. [4] Unfortunately, investment in solutions, which won’t bear fruit until far into the future, has diverted resources and attention from effective short-term remedies. [5]
Increasing fuel efficiency standards would be a logical first choice for effecting sizable reductions in carbon emissions and fuel consumption. However, the Bush Administration’s recently announced new fuel economy standards that go in the wrong direction. Based on their new formulas, even the nominal gains that could be achieved by the new light truck fuel economy standards would be undermined by allowing unlimited sales of larger, lower-mileage trucks.
As we celebrate the 37th Earth Day, it’s up to us to demand action on global warming and take steps to reduce global warming pollution in our daily lives.
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SOURCES:
[1] "Climate Researchers Feeling Heat From White House," Washington Post, Apr. 6, 2006.
[2] "Bush Covers Up Climate Research," The Observer, Sept. 21, 2003.
[3] "Climate Change: Myths and Realities," Pew Center on Global Climate Change, Jul. 17, 2002.
[4] White House press release, Jun. 25, 2003.
[5] "Hydrogen's Dirty Secret ," Mother Jones, Jun. 2003.
