Bush addresses climate with cold shoulder, fingers crossed (Austin American-Statesman Editorial)

[struggle4progress]

By The Editorial Board | Friday, April 18, 2008, 04:56 PM

President Bush last week made what will probably be his last speech of any substance about global warming. But it’s clear he intends to stay his environmental course which, like his policy for Iraq, requires Americans to pay no price or bear any burden - until after he leaves office in January ...

In comparison, the European Union has a goal of reducing emissions 20 percent by 2020 compared with 1990 levels, and up to 30 percent if other wealthy nations, like the United States, do the same.

The president had no new, major proposals on how this nation and others should “more rapidly slow the growth” of greenhouse gases, whose build-up is causing Earth’s climate to get warmer. That warming, in turn, is altering weather patterns in ways we still don’t fully understand and is causing a slow but inexorable rise in the seas. Glaciers are receding, and each year the ice at the poles shows more signs of receding during their respective summer months ...

It will be thrilling if some scientist or research team invents an inexpensive machine or process that magically eliminates the production of greenhouse gases. But it’s dangerous to assume such an invention will appear, and that we can stay this course and never have to pay a heavy price for our refusal to act sooner.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/editorial/entries/2008/04/18/bush_addresses_climate_with_co.html

[tanyev]

1. Bush has his fingers crossed, hoping for new technology?

Riiight. I'll bet it's more like fingers crossed, hoping complete disaster doesn't strike until somebody else is in the White House.

[iaviate1]

2. ...Or that disaster does strike.

So he can find an excuse to stay longer.

[mwb970]

3. He may not *want* to stay any longer.

This can't be much "fun" for him. It certainly isn't for us.