Global Warming: Will you listen now, America?

[RedEarth]

Global Warming: Will you listen now, America?
Two of the leading contenders to contest the next US presidential election have delivered an urgent warning to the United States on global warming, saying the evidence of climate change has become too stark to ignore and human activity is a major cause.
By Andrew Buncombe

On a high-profile and bi-partisan fact-finding tour in Alaska and Canada's Yukon territory, Senators John McCain, a Republican, and Hillary Clinton, the Democratic senator for New York, were confronted by melting permafrost and shrinking glaciers and heard from native Inuit that rising sea levels were altering their lives.

"The question is how much damage will be done before we start taking concrete action," Mr McCain said at a press conference in Anchorage. "Go up to places like we just came from. It's a little scary." Mrs Clinton added: "I don't think there's any doubt left for anybody who actually looks at the science. There are still some holdouts, but they're fighting a losing battle. The science is overwhelming."

Their findings directly challenge President George Bush's reluctance to legislate to reduce America's carbon emissions. Although both senators havetalked before of the need to tackle global warming, this week's clarion call was perhaps the clearest and most urgent. It also raises the prospect that climate change and other environmental issues could be a factor in the presidential contest in 2008 if Mrs Clinton and Mr McCain enter it. Mrs Clinton and Mr McCain, who represents Arizona, are among the leading, and the most popular, likely contenders.

That they chose Alaska as the stage from which to force global warming on to the American political agenda was not a matter of chance. In many ways, this separated US state is the frontline in the global warming debate. Environmentalists say the signs of climate change are more obvious there than perhaps anywhere else in the US.

http://www.commondreams.org/cgi-bin/print.cgi?file=/headlines05/0819-03.htm

[H5N1]

1. Nothing will be done. To quote the good Sir Winston Churchill:

"You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else."

[wli]

2. Peak Oil might cut GHG emissions...

The neocons and the DLC sure as Hell won't.

[tom_paine]

3. A shame neither McCain nor Hillary will be allowed to assume the throne

Just won't happen.

The Imperial Family has likely already decided on a trustworthy henchman to hold their seat until it's safe to install Emperor Jeb, perhaps in 2016, perhaps 2012.