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Politics of global warming (view source)
Revision as of 11:30, April 15, 2008
, 11:30, April 15, 2008added europe info with 3 references
The '''politics of global warming''' is dominated by advocates who urge action to "prevent" [[global warming]], generally on the grounds that the [[Modern Warming]] period is headed for ecological catastrophe. These advocates are predominantly [[liberal]]s and [[environmentalist]]s and are opposed by [[conservative]]s.
The '''politics of global warming''' is dominated by advocates who urge action to "prevent" [[global warming]], generally on the grounds that the [[Modern Warming]] period is headed for ecological catastrophe. These advocates are predominantly [[liberal]]s and [[environmentalist]]s and are opposed by [[conservative]]s.
==US Politics==
==US politics==
Registered voters are evenly divided on the issue, with 75% of Democrats believing the science supports AGW theory but only 23% of Republicans believing this.
Registered voters are evenly divided on the issue, with 75% of Democrats believing the science supports AGW theory but only 23% of Republicans believing this.
Since the issue came to the fore in 1989, neither president - [[Bill Clinton]] or [[George W. Bush]] - has sent the [[Kyoto Protocol]] treaty to the Senate for ratification. A bipartisan Senate resolution disapproved the notion of joining the treaty 93-0.
Since the issue came to the fore in 1989, neither president - [[Bill Clinton]] or [[George W. Bush]] - has sent the [[Kyoto Protocol]] treaty to the Senate for ratification. A bipartisan Senate resolution disapproved the notion of joining the treaty 93-0.
Some sources date the flip-flop from [[global cooling]] hype to [[global warming]] hysteria to 1989, when the [[Berlin Wall]] fell. With the [[Cold War]] won by the forces of democracy and freedom, supporters of totalitarian socialism had to find a new issue. <ref>"The global warming circus was in full swing. Meetings were going on nonstop. One of the more striking of those meetings was hosted in the summer of 1989 by Robert Redford at his ranch in Sundance, Utah. Redford proclaimed that it was time to stop the research and begin acting. I suppose that that was a reasonable suggestion for an actor to make, but it was also indicative of the overall attitude towards science. Barbara Streisand personally undertook to support the research of Michael Oppenheimer at the Environmental Defense Fund, although he is primarily an advocate and not a climatologist. Meryl Streep made an appeal on public television to stop warming. A bill was even prepared to guarantee Americans a stable climate." [http://www.aetherometry.com/global_warming/Section_I_2.html] </ref>
Some sources date the flip-flop from [[global cooling]] hype to [[global warming]] hysteria to 1989, when the [[Berlin Wall]] fell. With the [[Cold War]] won by the forces of democracy and freedom, supporters of totalitarian socialism had to find a new issue. <ref>"The global warming circus was in full swing. Meetings were going on nonstop. One of the more striking of those meetings was hosted in the summer of 1989 by Robert Redford at his ranch in Sundance, Utah. Redford proclaimed that it was time to stop the research and begin acting. I suppose that that was a reasonable suggestion for an actor to make, but it was also indicative of the overall attitude towards science. Barbara Streisand personally undertook to support the research of Michael Oppenheimer at the Environmental Defense Fund, although he is primarily an advocate and not a climatologist. Meryl Streep made an appeal on public television to stop warming. A bill was even prepared to guarantee Americans a stable climate." [http://www.aetherometry.com/global_warming/Section_I_2.html] </ref>
==International Politics==
==EU politics==
All 27 member states of the [[European Union]] have ratified the Kyoto Protocol, as has the EU itself. In 2000 the European Climate Change Programme was launched to provide a strategy to implement Kyoto: the targets assigned for each member state vary, with western states cutting emissions more than eastern ones – to make an average cut of 8% by 2012, 20% to 30% by 2020 and 50% by 2050.<ref>http://ec.europa.eu/energy/energy_policy/doc/01_energy_policy_for_europe_en.pdf An Energy Policy for Europe</ref> Some member states have agreed to further cuts in greenhouse gas emissions; [[Germany]] had already cut emissions by 17.2% in 2004, so is pressing for tougher targets in future, and the [[United Kingdom]] parliament has proposed a Climate Change Bill to cut GHGs by 60% by 2050 (several parties including the [[Liberal Democrats]] have pushed for 80% or 100% reduction targets).<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6444145.stm 'Binding' carbon targets proposed</ref> All vehicles produced in the EU from 2012 will have to emit less than 120 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre (equivalent to at least 47 miles per gallon for diesel, 55 mpg for petrol): the most stringent law in the world.<ref>http://ec.europa.eu/environment/news/efe/24/article_4119_en.htm European strategy targets car emissions</ref>
==International politics==
The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ([[IPCC]]) has issued a series of reports endorsing the theory of [[anthropogenic global warming]]. Supporters of this theory call the IPCC assessments authoritative, and use this as the basis to justify ratification of the global warming treaty (see [[Kyoto Protocol]]).
The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ([[IPCC]]) has issued a series of reports endorsing the theory of [[anthropogenic global warming]]. Supporters of this theory call the IPCC assessments authoritative, and use this as the basis to justify ratification of the global warming treaty (see [[Kyoto Protocol]]).