Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called Tuesday for California to become a national leader in combatting global warming but cautioned that the state should move slowly in imposing controls on industries that emit greenhouse gases, a step environmentalists argue is a priority. "We could really scare the business community,'' Schwarzenegger warned during a summit at San Francisco City Hall at which he called for programs to help companies cut the amount of carbon dioxide and other gases that scientists say cause global warming.
The governor's comments caused one environmentalist to suggest Schwarzenegger was a "Jekyll and Hyde" on the issue. The matter could become the focus of a battle this year with Democrats, who are backing legislation, opposed by some big business groups, that calls for enacting emission limits on industry.
At the heart of the issue is whether California should use a so-called cap and trade system in which a government sets limits on the amount of carbon dioxide companies can emit. Companies emitting less than their limit could sell credits to businesses that emit more.
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In a speech delivered in front of huge photos juxtaposing a snow-covered Sierra Nevada in 1875 with a barren one in 2004, Schwarzenegger compared the world's environment to an overweight person with a heart problem. Continue the same diet and die an early death, he said, or, "if you develop the will power, and if you want to make some sacrifices and you want to listen to the experts, and change your eating habit and exercise every day, then you can have a long and healthy life. "Well, we have the same choice to make with climate change,'' he said.
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/04/12/MNGIVI7RTB1.DTLYeah, Ah-nold - we just won't make that choice, becasue someone, somewhere, someday might have to pay for it - and we can't have THAT, now can we?
:puke: