Word: boxer
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...last January, the committee was chaired by Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe, a Republican who memorably called global warming "the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people." When the Democrats took over Congress in the 2006 midterm elections, however, the chairperson's gavel was handed over to Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, and the floodgates opened. Boxer began a series of open hearings on the science of global warming, giving airtime to the sort of experts - including former Vice President Al Gore - who had been suppressed under Inhofe. "As soon as the change took place, I realized that this...
Similar bills had been put forward over the past several years, only to die in committee. This time, however, Boxer was able to help pull together not only Democrats but a Republican as well, giving the bill some bipartisan support. That's key - given how narrowly divided Congress has become, meaningful climate change legislation only has a chance if its supporters can draw allies from across the political aisle. Boxer is confident she can. "The environment has been an issue that has pulled together Republicans and Democrats in the past," she says. "Everyone has to breathe the same...
...shown little inclination to support it. Bush favors what he calls technological solutions to global warming, but without the pressure of carbon caps. "That's like saying let's meet at the field and play baseball, but you don't bring a mitt or a ball," says Boxer. "You can't play the game...
Critics like Bush tend to focus on the economic costs of reducing carbon emissions - through increased energy prices - but Boxer, and many of her supporters, believe that combating climate change can have a net positive effect on the economy. Boxer hails from California, which has already passed the strongest state legislation on climate change, cutting carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Far from hurting the state economically, Boxer notes, the carbon bill has helped California become the center for green innovation in the U.S., with Silicon Valley venture capitalists pouring billions into alternative energy start-ups. Those businesses will...
Emphasizing the hope, the positive possibilities of dealing with climate change, should also help Boxer broaden the appeal of the Climate Security Act. Americans are worried about global warming, but they're also worried about Iraq, the economy and health care. Make global warming into an economic issue, or an issue of national security, not just an environmental one, and there's a better chance of achieving broad, bipartisan support. Not all environmentalists are happy with the Climate Security Act - it has been criticized by the Sierra Club, among other groups, as too weak. While it could be tightened...