DALLAS (May 25, 2007) – In the war of words over climate change, European policy makers often lecture their American counterparts about carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions and the need to sign international energy reduction agreements. Yet recent reports show that the U.S. is actually doing a better job of controlling its CO2 emissions, according to an expert with the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA).
"Once again European leaders who claim to be taking the lead in combating global warming are being proven to be full of hot air," said NCPA Senior Fellow H. Sterling Burnett. "Evidently what is important to them is rhetorical concern and meaningless international accords, not actually doing anything about it."
Burnett pointed to recent news that the U.S.'s voluntary, technology-driven programs are proving to be much more effective at reducing CO2 emissions than is the European trading scheme. For example:
- The U.S. Energy Information Agency estimates U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions dropped 1.3 percent in 2006, even as the nation's economy grew by 3.3 percent – the largest annual improvement since 1990.
- Meanwhile, overall European emissions went up by 1 to 1.5 percent.
"As usual, the Europeans are all talk and no action," said Burnett. "You can have a growing economy and a cleaner environment, just not through government mandated restrictions on energy use."