DALLAS (Feb. 13, 2002) — President Bush is expected to unveil his plan for dealing with global warming tomorrow. According to National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) Senior Fellow H. Sterling Burnett, Ph.D., "preliminary details show that Bush will take a step in the right direction."
To speak with Dr. Burnett about the new global warming plan, contact the number listed above.
"Clearly the President was right to walk away from the Kyoto Protocol. Other countries are now following his lead," says Burnett. "Kyoto would have done nothing to prevent human caused global warming, if it is occurring, but it would have stunted U.S. and worldwide economic growth – putting people out of work and sharply increasing energy prices.
"Only time will tell whether the administration's proposal has got all the details right, but at least going in the right direction."
- If urban air pollution is contributing to global warming, then the Administration's plan to limit utilities' NOx, SO2 and Mercury emissions through a cap-and-trade mechanism should improve air quality, reduce near-term warming and do so in a relatively efficient manner.
- The plan is also flexible. Rather than specifying particular technologies to reduce global warming or setting arbitrary – untenable- emissions reduction targets, his plan focuses on encouraging new technologies that allow for midcourse corrections.
- The plan also allows for, indeed encourages, economic growth and ties emissions reductions to technological improvements and innovation.
- In other words, the administration's plan recognizes that as businesses work to improve the bottom line, they naturally look towards improved efficiency. The goal should be to speed up such improvements.