Supersizing the American Dream in an Era of Climate Change
I. Supersizing Trends
I. Supersizing Trends
During the climate change meetings at the Group of Eight (G-8) Summit in July 2008, President George W. Bush summarized the results of the meeting:
The G-8 expressed our desire to have a--a significant reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050. We [the United States] made it clear and the other nations agreed that they must also participate in an ambitious goal, with interim goals and interim plans to enable the world to successfully address climate change. And we made progress, significant progress, toward a comprehensive approach.
Before 2006, some American evangelicals were indifferent about environmental issues, but many were hostile, denouncing "environmental wackos" and the quasi-religious language of the environmental movement. But the release of a startlingly pro-environmental document called Climate Change: An Evangelical Call to Action two years ago signaled the sudden emergence of a sizeable group of evangelical environmentalists.
Reducing household energy use is an important policy objective for governments and utilities as it comprises a low-cost and low environmental impact alternative to expanding energy supply. There are two broad approaches to reducing household energy use: (1) conservation; and (2) efficiency. Conservation reduces the level of demand for a useful service, and is often associated with a loss of amenity, e.g., turning the thermostat down in winter.
Editors' Summary:
Editors' Summary:
Editors' Summary: Federal cap-and-trade legislation is essential if the United States is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Barack Obama Administration will take office at a moment when the world, and this country in particular, has lagged way behind in tackling the greatest environmental problem of all time: climate change. Global emissions now exceed the worst-case scenario of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change, and annual emissions of developing nations have begun to exceed those of the industrialized ones. The time is long overdue for U.S. leadership.
President Barack Obama has taken office pledged to control global warming both by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in this country and by pursuing negotiated worldwide GHG limits. The two efforts cannot be separated. Success in future GHG reduction will depend on international controls that reach beyond the industrialized world.