Opinion: Warming signs: the administration

It took a while, but the Bush administration now admits there is scientific evidence that global warming exists, that it is caused by industrial activity and that it poses a threat to Americans. Yet rather than being moved to action, the administration is taking an oddly lackadaisical approach to finding a solution.

In a report to the United Nations last month, the administration accepted the conclusion by the National Academy of Sciences that "human-induced warming and associated sea level rises are expected to continue through the 21st century." That represents a step forward for President Bush, who until now had parroted the energy industry's skepticism of the science behind global warming.

Even a moderate rise in sea level could have devastating consequences, especially for the Southeast, according to the report. Coastal wetlands could be lost, and coastal communities would be at a greater risk from storm surge. Rising temperatures could mean less snowpack and more severe water shortages, particularly in the West. Intense heat waves would raise the discomfort level and possibly threaten health.

None of that gives the administration a sense of urgency, however. For example, the health risks to Americans from increased summer temperatures "can be ameliorated through such measures as the increased availability of air conditioning," the report states. Of course, more use of air conditioners is expensive, increases the demand for electricity (which adds to global warming) and contributes nothing to finding a fix.

No commitment to action is required, however, because the U.N. treaty under which the report was written establishes a target for reduction of emissions that cause global warming, but it does not require nations to achieve those goals. The president rejected the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty that would have forced the United States and other industrialized nations to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases they produce.

Bush favors voluntary curbs, but his proposals are vague and essentially useless in reducing carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas emitted in the United States. The president didn't even include carbon dioxide in his so-called Clear Skies initiative to clean up dirty power plants, and his answer to the Kyoto treaty sets voluntary targets for industry that would result in continued growth in carbon dioxide emissions.

So the administration is admitting the harm done by global warming but refusing to take tough measures to combat it. There is another choice, however.

A bill in the U.S. Senate written by Sen. Jim Jeffords, I-Vermont, would require the Environmental Protection Agency to achieve reductions in four pollutants, including carbon dioxide, at the nation's power plants. That could be done without significant harm to the economy by requiring cleaner fuels, improved energy efficiency and use of alternative fuels. "The longer that we delay real action on these matters, the more costly and complicated it will be in the long run," Jeffords said.

While there is doubt that the Jeffords measure will gain enough congressional support to become law this year, it should at least put President Bush on notice. If he is going to acknowledge the seriousness of the disease, he also needs to get serious about the cure.

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