Bush is out of touch with the reality of global warming

The following article regarding Americans' concern about global warming shows that President Bush is out of touch with the reality of global warming.  The question is whether he is really oblivious to the seriousness of the problem or whether his determination to drill an oil well on every square acre of land in America takes precedence.  The President is pro-oil, of that there is no doubt.  And any admission by him that there is a direct connection with the consumption of oil and global warming will require him to throttle back his friends in the oil business.  The question is whether the President will continue to skew his decisions in favor of his personal friends at the expense of the entire world society.  I think he has already answered that question.

Global warming is a reality and it is nonsense for the President of the United States to seriously advocate a position that it is just a figment of everyone's imagination.  As governor, I intend to protect the oil economy of this state but I do not intend to ignore the reality of global warming.  There is no doubt that there will be a continuing need for oil in the foreseeable future due to the fact that the world economy is so dependent upon it as a source of energy.  And Texans should apply their vast knowledge in this area to producing oil to meet that demand.  At the same time, some sacrifices are going to have to be made in order to avoid the devastation that changing weather patterns can create all over the world.  We do not want to impair our ability to feed ourselves by contributing to weather conditions that will shift the bread belt north into Canada or south into Mexico.

No one is sure how to reconcile the need to produce and use oil and at the same time reduce the rate of global warming.  However, we do not need a President who ignores the reality of global warming to the detriment of us all.  We at the least need to participate in the global dialogue on this critical issue and work with the rest of the world toward an realistic and equitable solution.

John WorldPeace

April 2, 2001

Poll: Global Warming Is Serious

By WILL LESTER
.c The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (April 1) - Two-thirds of Americans say President Bush should develop a plan to reduce the emission of gases like carbon dioxide that have been blamed for causing global temperature increases, says a poll released Sunday.

In the middle of last month, Bush reversed himself on a campaign promise that his administration would reduce carbon dioxide emissions. His administration has also announced it will pull out of an international agreement aimed at combating climate change.

The Time-CNN poll, taken after the announced pullout, found that three-fourths of Americans say they consider global warming to be a serious problem. More than four in 10 said they consider the problem very serious and three in 10 said it was fairly serious.

European officials have warned the decision to pull out of the climate agreement, known as the Kyoto Protocol, could harm U.S. relations with the rest of the world.

And Environmental Protection Agency administrator Christie Todd Whitman warned the Bush administration that the carbon dioxide emissions issue was a matter of ''international credibility.''

Bush said he changed his position because he would not do anything to further harm the economy or affect the energy supply. He and Whitman have said the administration remains open to discussions of ways to reduce global warming.

The Time magazine cover story includes a letter to the president from former President Jimmy Carter, former news anchor Walter Cronkite, former astronaut and senator John Glenn, scientist Stephen Hawking and several others asking the president to ''develop a plan to reduce U.S. production of greenhouse gases.''

''No challenge we face is more momentous than the threat of global climate change,'' the letter said. ''The current provisions of the Kyoto Protocol are a matter of legitimate debate. But the situation is becoming urgent and it is time for consensus and action.''

By a 3-1 margin, Americans said they believe emissions of gases like carbon dioxide are causing global temperature increases. Three-fourths of Democrats and half of Republicans said they believe such emissions are causing temperatures to increase.

People were evenly split on whether they would be willing to pay 25 cents more per gallon for gasoline to reduce pollution and global warming. A decade ago, six of 10 were willing to pay that much more.

A majority - 55 percent - said the government should require improvements in fuel efficiency for cars and trucks, even if it means higher prices and smaller vehicles. Four in 10 disagreed.

The poll of 1,025 adults was taken March 21-22 and has an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.