Representative Bob Inglis, a South Carolina Republican, says he "pooh-poohed" global warming until he trekked to the South Pole in January.
"Now, I think we should be concerned,'' says Inglis, who heads the U.S. House Science Research subcommittee. "There are more and more Republicans willing to stop laughing at climate change who are ready to get serious about reclaiming their heritage as conservationists."
U.S. companies including General Electric Co. and Duke Energy Corp. have come out in support of national limits on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse-gas emissions that scientists say contribute to global warming. They are now being joined by Republican lawmakers who have parted company with President George W. Bush on the issue.
In addition to Inglis, who says he saw evidence of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere during his trip to Antarctica, the list includes Senators Pete Domenici of New Mexico, the chairman of the chamber's Energy Committee; Mike DeWine of Ohio; and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, as well as Representative Jim Leach of Iowa.
"Resistance to action on climate change is crumbling," says Reid Detchon, an Energy Department official under former President George H.W. Bush who is now head of energy and climate at the United Nations Foundation. "The business community has a number of prominent leaders arguing for action, and the science on climate change becomes clearer and more inescapable by the day."
At least, some Republicans are waking up from hibernation, so are companies that are now realizing that climate change could have a disastrous effect on business, and that any solution to mitigate the situation will take decades. The earlier we start the better. Note that the cause, while pertinent to finding solutions, should not be a political issue at this point. Mother Nature doesn't give a damn about politics.
No comments:
Post a Comment