The Tears Of Al Gore: Politics Kills Climate Legislation (And Perhaps The Planet), NYT Excoriates Everyone

by Bruce Friedrich

The collapse of climate legislation nets meager coverage in all the major papers today. The best coverage of the political theater comes, as usual, courtesy of Politico. Aptly titled, “Climate bill blame game begins,” the piece ably chronicles precisely who’s blaming whom for neglecting what Obama rightly called a “planet in peril” during the campaign (spoiler alert: The environmentalists are to blame!).

It may offer only anemic coverage in its news pages, but the New York Times deserves accolades for devoting its lead editorial (which it also places at the very top of its Web site) to the issue, aptly summing up culpability—everyone is to blame:

The Republicans obviously bear a good part of the responsibility for this failure. With a handful of exceptions, they have denied or played down the problem of global warming for years and did pretty much anything they could to protect industry from necessary regulation. There are, however, as many as a dozen Senate Democrats, mainly from the South, Appalachia and the Midwest, who share the blame.

They cowered before the shrill warnings that capping carbon emissions — and making electricity from traditional fuels like coal more expensive — would cripple the economy. Never mind the wealth of evidence that the costs will be minimal and, over time, will be richly repaid in terms of new jobs and industries.

[And] Mr. Obama never fully committed to the fight. He raised hopes here and around the world last year when he pledged in Copenhagen to reduce United States greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent. Until a couple of months ago, he talked a good game, praising the House bill that aimed at the 17 percent target and promising to make every effort to get the Senate to follow.

Ah well, last month, one of the world’s most eminent scientists—the guy who eradicated smallpox—predicted that it’s too late, and that humans will be extinct in 100 years anyway.

Put another way: If we just ignore the peril for a bit longer, it will take care of itself.

By: BruceGFriedrich

Vice President, Policy, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals