To President Obama
The recent "American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009" that narrowly passed in the House quite frankly sucks. It's full of bureaucratic legal-ese and contains far too many compromises agreed to so that it would pass, and doesn't do anywhere near enough to combat anthropogenic climate change. However, right now probably the most important thing your administration can do would be to make sure this Act passes in the Senate as well.
That it passed so narrowly in the House is quite disconcerting. Something like 50 representatives from your own party, mostly people from states where coal is big, voted against it. More disappointing, however, is how almost every Republican voted against it as well. I'll admit that I long for the Republican party before Reagan, before a flat out rejection of environmental causes was the norm, when people like Richard Nixon and Teddy Roosevelt passed groundbreaking environmental legislation during their administration. I can sort of understand (though I disagree with) Republicans who oppose climate legislation because of some Libertarian opposition to government intervention, or because of special interest money from polluters like the oil and coal industries, but those who dabble in pseudoscience and denialism I consider the worst offenders.
But enough of that, you are probably aware that we are running out of time to take action against climate change. I understand this is one of many issues that doesn't have widespread public support, that if recent public opinion surveys are to be believed a significant proportion of the American people have bought the climate denialist arguments and most of the rest are apathetic about the issue.
Meanwhile sometime in the past several years climate scientists have started publishing papers suggesting that the carbon sinks may not be taking up carbon as much as hoped, that the 2-5°C predicting warming due to doubling of carbon dioxide concentrations in the last IPCC may be "too optimistic", and that arctic sea ice coverage is shrinking to record low levels. Most people I've talked to are no longer talking about "prevention" and are now talking about "minimization" of climate change. For example today I read of a discussion about whether we can limit warming to 2°C.
This brings us back to the climate bill. Yes it sucks, but the sad fact is that it's the best bill that has come through Congress to this date. It's an unpopular issue in Congress but the opponents of the bill are being selfish and putting their politics or their special interests ahead of the public good, on an issue in which they shouldn't be. Proponents and opponents argue about losing jobs because of environmental legislation, or creating jobs by jump-starting the new green technology and alternate energy industries, and while these should be part of the debate, the more important issue that you should be considering is that we are running out of time, and that if nothing is done the economic and social upheavals are going to dwarf the benefits or harm done to the economy.
You took an oath to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States". I understand your reluctance to take too great of a part in a contentious issue, but now is your chance to fulfill your oath. Members of your party are waffling on this issue, you'll need to convince them of its importance. You claimed (or were attributed) the ability to reach across the aisle during the election season, now would be a good time to demonstrate it in selling your legislation to the Republicans in Congress. More importantly there's a public out that that is at times supportive, antagonistic, or apathetic towards your presidency, but they will listen to you.
That it passed so narrowly in the House is quite disconcerting. Something like 50 representatives from your own party, mostly people from states where coal is big, voted against it. More disappointing, however, is how almost every Republican voted against it as well. I'll admit that I long for the Republican party before Reagan, before a flat out rejection of environmental causes was the norm, when people like Richard Nixon and Teddy Roosevelt passed groundbreaking environmental legislation during their administration. I can sort of understand (though I disagree with) Republicans who oppose climate legislation because of some Libertarian opposition to government intervention, or because of special interest money from polluters like the oil and coal industries, but those who dabble in pseudoscience and denialism I consider the worst offenders.
But enough of that, you are probably aware that we are running out of time to take action against climate change. I understand this is one of many issues that doesn't have widespread public support, that if recent public opinion surveys are to be believed a significant proportion of the American people have bought the climate denialist arguments and most of the rest are apathetic about the issue.
Meanwhile sometime in the past several years climate scientists have started publishing papers suggesting that the carbon sinks may not be taking up carbon as much as hoped, that the 2-5°C predicting warming due to doubling of carbon dioxide concentrations in the last IPCC may be "too optimistic", and that arctic sea ice coverage is shrinking to record low levels. Most people I've talked to are no longer talking about "prevention" and are now talking about "minimization" of climate change. For example today I read of a discussion about whether we can limit warming to 2°C.
This brings us back to the climate bill. Yes it sucks, but the sad fact is that it's the best bill that has come through Congress to this date. It's an unpopular issue in Congress but the opponents of the bill are being selfish and putting their politics or their special interests ahead of the public good, on an issue in which they shouldn't be. Proponents and opponents argue about losing jobs because of environmental legislation, or creating jobs by jump-starting the new green technology and alternate energy industries, and while these should be part of the debate, the more important issue that you should be considering is that we are running out of time, and that if nothing is done the economic and social upheavals are going to dwarf the benefits or harm done to the economy.
You took an oath to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States". I understand your reluctance to take too great of a part in a contentious issue, but now is your chance to fulfill your oath. Members of your party are waffling on this issue, you'll need to convince them of its importance. You claimed (or were attributed) the ability to reach across the aisle during the election season, now would be a good time to demonstrate it in selling your legislation to the Republicans in Congress. More importantly there's a public out that that is at times supportive, antagonistic, or apathetic towards your presidency, but they will listen to you.