Politicians of both parties have jumped on the War on Global Warming bandwagon. A Line of Sight has opined many times before that common sense dictates we do what we can to mitigate damage to the environment, but we also believe the issue has been blown dramatically out of proportion. Research and good science – not hysteria – should guide public policy.
President Bush in a 2008 Earth Day statement recommended a goal of simply stopping the growth of greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 (which would take considerable doing). That objective was immediately derided by the media and the political zealots as naïve and weak.
Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have embraced an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050. There are enough believers in the 80 percent objective, including Colorado’s Governor Bill Ritter, that an “80 by 50″ mantra already exists. John McCain’s stated goal is a robust 65 percent. We’ve long suspected that these numbers were simply pulled from thin air with little thought of their feasibility – or, change in lifestyle and quality of life issues.
Finally, someone has done a little calculating to determine the impact of such a lofty goal. Dr. Steven F. Hayward is an American Enterprise Institute Fellow, as well as a Senior Fellow of Environmental Studies at the Pacific Research Institute. Annually Hayward publishes the “Index of Leading Environmental Indicators” which gives macro statistical tracking benchmarks for air and water quality, land and forest changes, toxic chemicals and health risks, and climate change indicators. Unlike some that rely on hyperbole, Hayward actually looks at statistical data change over time.
We strongly recommend reading his entire report linked above. Reach what conclusions you will, but at least know the reality and trends of the environmental conditions. Hayward summarized the 2008 report in a guest editorial for the Wall Street Journal. Having done some extensive calculations regarding the goal of reducing per capita greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent, Hayward is skeptical. Below are excerpts from his WSJ editorial:
“It is likely that U.S. per capita emissions were never that low – even back in colonial days when the only fuel we burned was wood. The only nations in the world today that emit at this low level are all poor developing nations, such as Belize, Mauritius, Jordan, Haiti and Somalia.”
“You can forget refrigerators, microwaves, clothes dryers and flat screen TVs. Even a house tricked out with all the latest high-efficiency EnergyStar appliances and compact fluorescent lights won’t come close.”
“How on God’s green earth will we make up the difference? Someone should put this question to the candidates. And not let them slide past it with glittering generalities.”
Read Hayward’s report, and the next time you see a politician who has joined the “80 by 50″ club, you can ask them a simple question: “How?”
Read the full report here.