Word: caps
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...When discussing policy, both economic feasibility and a fair distribution of burdens should be considered as well as how a political action can imbue a spirit of collective responsibility and sacrifice for the environment. Hopefully large cap-and-trade schemes pass in Washington and the U.S. joins in at the U.N. Climate Conference in Copenhagen—grand-scale cap and trade is the best way to quickly reduce emissions. But we must be careful that the framework of any cap-and-trade scheme does not unfairly exonerate the responsibilities certain groups should have to face. More importantly, a cap...
...moral arguments against both cap-and-trade schemes are ubiquitous. A recent denunciation comes from Father Paul Mayer, co-founder of the Climate Crisis Coalition. Last month, he suggested that any continued pollution of the atmosphere is a sin: How can evil emitters be given the option of buying the right to sin from other groups—most likely struggling developing countries who bear little to no blame for the problem? Images of 16th-century Catholic indulgence policies come to mind...
...groups were hopeful that the new Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar, would restore full protections for the polar bear. But they came away disappointed on May 8, when Salazar announced that he would keep the Bush rule in place, claiming that the ESA wasn't meant to be used to cap carbon emissions. "When the ESA was passed, it was not contemplated it would be a tool to address the issue of climate change," he said. "It seems to me that using the Endangered Species Act as a way to get to that global warming framework is not the right...
...little early to judge Salazar's tenure at the Interior Department, and the Secretary may have a point - the ESA wasn't designed to counter a threat as global as global warming. The best way to deal with carbon emissions is to pass national legislation that would create a cap-and-trade program, rather than trying to stretch the ESA to fit a purpose its drafters couldn't have foreseen. But the ongoing battle over the polar bear is a reminder that wildlife will be the first victims of global warming - and that saving them won't be easy...
...Waxman is to grant the concessions he needs to form a majority for a bill without diluting its environmental benefits. His current focus, he said, is to assure that no part of the country bears a disproportionate share of costs. But, regardless of concessions, he added, the emissions cap will guarantee that "environmental integrity" is preserved...