Ellington

The new Democratic Congress is joining with the growing anti-global-warming evangelical movement to try to curb the dangers of global warming. Fortunately, denial is no longer the main strategy in Washington. The New York Times reports:

Four major Democratic bills have been announced, with more expected. One of these measures, or a blend of them, stands an excellent chance of passage in this Congress or the next, industry and environmental lobbyists said in interviews. Many events have combined to create the new direction — forsythia blooming in lawmakers' gardens in January, polar bears lacking the ice they need to hunt and Al Gore's movie, "An Inconvenient Truth," along with pragmatic executives seeking an idea of future costs and, especially, the arrival of a Democratic-controlled Congress. There was evidence of the changed mood all over Washington this week.

On Wednesday, leading scientists and evangelical pastors jointly declared their intention to fight the causes of climate change and the public confusion on the subject. Cheryl Johns, a professor at the Church of God Theological Seminary, called that problem "nature deficit disorder."

Another news conference on Wednesday featured executives of the heavily regulated electric utility industry embracing Senators Dianne Feinstein of California and Thomas R. Carper of Delaware, both Democrats. The senators were offering separate bills to add regulations, including a cap on carbon dioxide emissions.

Previous Comments

ID

109945

Comment

I'm going to nitpick, possibly because I've got a bad cold and I'm feeling ornery, but should the headline really read "Dems, Evangelicals Join Forces" when 22% of white evangelicals and +/-85% of black evangelicals already identify as Democrats? Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2007-01-18T16:30:19-06:00

ID

109946

Comment

Good point, Tom. Good point.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-01-18T16:51:15-06:00

ID

109947

Comment

I certainly think it is high time we lay the “debate” over global warming to rest and get on with doing everything possible to address the issue. Any solution has to include a global response that is a little more considerate of the effects of individual nations than the Kyoto Protocol. It is tough going to find solutions that mesh with efforts to stop the loss of manufacturing jobs in this country. I agree with the idea that the search for non-fossil alternative energy sources needs to become a national cause. I have heard those who liken such a search to the Space Race of our parents’ (well… my parents’) generation. Having spent a great deal of time in China recently, I can assure you that any agreement will face significant hurdles with the Chinese government. There is no indication that anything will transpire there that will result in a slowdown of their breakneck industrial development. Time in China has increased my appreciation of the activities of people for whom I wouldn’t have necessarily voted. I would consider myself a moderate-conservative (might be why some old “friends” don’t call me anymore!) but I get home and feel the urge to hug a “tree-hugger”.

Author

JakeSlade79

Date

2007-01-19T14:33:14-06:00

ID

109948

Comment

Isn't it true, though, that China already outpaces us in their standards for fuel economy in automobiles? I seem to remember that from "An Inconvenient Truth."

Author

Izzy

Date

2007-01-19T15:09:27-06:00

ID

109949

Comment

By the way, I agree the time has come - denial is really no longer an option. Truthfully it scared the bejeezus out of me when I was in upstate New York in early January and there was not a drop of snow on the ground. Yet I am comforted by the thought that humans can be resourceful when confronted with a problem.

Author

Izzy

Date

2007-01-19T15:10:56-06:00

ID

109950

Comment

China may indeed have fuel efficiency laws on the books. These are likely in place for basic supply issues given the growing level of car ownership there. But emissions from the average vehicle are horrendous. Poorly maintained trucks and cars billow incredible amounts of smoke. If there are emissions regulations in place, such as those in some of the more populous states in this country, they are not enforced. This is the case with many laws. Local officials carry a tremendous amount influence and enforce laws favorable to their friends (i.e.: people of means and influence). Even on CCTV 9, China’s English language cable station, I have heard the phrase “as China moves toward becoming a country of law”. This is pretty remarkable given the fact that there is absolutely NO dissent regarding Chinese policies on State run television. The Chinese central government does a good job of promoting an “all is well” line of rhetoric. But in Chinese cities, you literally feel that your health is being damaged by the air you are breathing. You go two weeks without seeing the sun as a definable object. In the city of Beilun, which is a suburb of the larger city Ningbo (population cited at roughly 5 million), my main navigation landmark is the coal burning power plant. It is visible from almost everywhere in the city. Each of the three smokestacks of the plant is marked with the year it was erected. The first was in 1997, the last in 2002. These coal plants are everywhere you look as you travel. I am not China bashing. I am friends with many bright and talented Chinese men and women. But the current state of the Chinese environment is desperate. Before my first trip to China, I listened to a series of broadcasts of NPR’s Marketplace. The programs ran the week of January 16, 2006 and are still in the archives at Marketplace.org. I recommend listening to the afternoon show from 1/16. The observations matched my own.

Author

JakeSlade79

Date

2007-01-19T17:11:26-06:00

ID

109951

Comment

Those Marketplace segments were awesome. The news in this story for me was not Dems and Evangelicals, but scientists and evangelicals. They finally found common ground (and about time, too). And, after watching a short segment on CNN, I found the evangelical guy to be a much better spokesperson for the environment than the scientist was. Maybe the Lorax is really an evangelical christian?

Author

kate

Date

2007-01-20T11:46:03-06:00