If he’s in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after Nov 4, Barack Obama said he would classify carbon dioxide as a dangerous pollutant, and use the Clean Air Act to curb emissions by power plants and manufacturers. Such a move could halt construction on as many as half of the 130 proposed new coal-fired power plants.
“The U.S. has to move quickly domestically so we can get back in the game internationally,” said Jason Grumet, Obama’s energy advisor. “We cannot have a meaningful impact in the international discussion until we develop a meaningful domestic consensus. So he’ll move quickly” (Jim Ofstathiou Jr., Yahoo! News 10/16/08).
Meanwhile, many Europeans, seeing the punishing financial costs of emissions reductions while already in a fiscal crisis, are saying “Not me!”
In 2006, Chancellor Angela Merkel promised to eliminate coal and nuclear power in Germany. Now she is calling for new coal-fired plants and for protecting chemical, steel, manufacturing, cement, and automotive industries from ruinous emissions caps (Paul Driessen, FreeRepublic.com 10/13/08).
“It cannot be us, who have the biggest manufacturing economy in Europe along with Germany, to take on the costs that would depress our economy, our automotive sector, compared with other economies, in a moment of crisis,” said Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Eight other countries (Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Slovakia) also asked the EU to recognize their economic difficulties and block the EU climate plan (Francesca Piscioneri and Pete Harrison, Reuters 10/21/08).
The British government has “spent more than three years paving the way for the next [U.S.] president by chipping away at the road block the US has long represented on getting a binding agreement—designed to ‘penetrate every layer of American society’.” The Prince of Wales, religious leaders, and dozens of members of Parliament have been involved (Times 10/20/08).
British politicians, however, are being pummeled by a voter backlash, as cash-strapped families struggle with the £1,000/yr cost of climate policy (Daily Mail 10/17/08).
Half of America’s electricity is generated using coal. Demand is growing twice as fast as supply, and brownouts could occur as early as 2009 (Doctors for Disaster Preparedness Newsletter, September 2008).
EPA-proposed rules would require permits to emit carbon dioxide from the majority of American small businesses, farms with more than 25 cows, and even large single-family homes, as well as schools, hospitals, and public buildings. “It is difficult to overemphasize how potentially disruptive and burdensome such a…regulatory regime would be,” commented the Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy (Physicians for Civil Defense, July 2008).
Sen. McCain has not said how he would approach CO2 regulation under the Clean Air Act (Estathiou, op. cit.).
Additional information:
Tyrants seem to use any weapon, regardless of its impact on humanity, which satisfies their lust for power.
Having these thoughtless souls spend an adequate interval in a “Biosphere” devoid of carbon dioxide would be suitable enlightenment for all concerned.
AAPS should not be opining on matters unrelated to it’s core message of promoting free market health care reform. By weighing in on the presidential campaign on unrelated issues such as the environment, it loses credibility as an impartial entity. Attacking Democrates and promoting Republicans does not always result in free market friendly policies. Remember that it was Bush and the Republicans who spearheaded a massive expansion of government intervention in healthcare with the introduction of Medicare Part D, the bloated government funded prescription program. Beware of partisanship, as George Washington told us. Stick to the issues.
Too much attention to the candidates and even voting simply encourages them.
As long as China, Eastern Europe and other third world nations continue to pollute we will just handicap our own economy esp. in this most difficult economy. By the U. S. cutting back it will not make a difference in climate. The 20 most polluted cities are all out of this country, 19 are in China and the only one in North America is Mexico City. I feel any issue that could severely damage our economy will effect all the physicians of this country. Please continue to put light on all issues that can effect our ability to make a living. If our patients have been hurt by policy decisions of our government and they have lost their jobs good luck getting paid for the work we do. Keep up the good work representing the private practice of medicine. Michael A. Witt, M.D.