Barack Obama, faced with a Republican insurgency in Congress, may be giving up on the fight against global warming. Carol Browner, the White House coordinator on energy and climate change is stepping down and it's unclear whether she'll even be replaced.
Kevin Book, an analyst at ClearView Energy Partners LLC in Washington, said the November elections results were a warning to Obama about his ambitious energy policy.
" The age of grand designs ended that day and the age of 'bite-sized chunks' began," Book said. " That doesn't leave a lot of maneuvering room for an environmentalist-in-chief."
2 comments:
In his State of the Union speech, Obama wisely appears to be using a new strategy in the fight against climate change by pushing for massive investment in low carbon energy technology, light rail, and an end to oil company subsidies, while not linking these innovations directly to climate change. What choice does he have? Any legislation which mentions climate change or global warming directly is doomed in Congress. Good discussion of his speech over at Climateprogress.org.
Here in Canada, we are stuck with the fossil fuel future lack of vision of Harper and Ignatieff. I'm beginning to think that we need to change our government from the bottom up, i.e., support local candidates with a strong environmental background who will fight for a change in leadership and vision within the party, e.g., Dave Braden, a new Liberal candidate here in Ontario.
Good points. I agree on the need for wholesale change, including in the Liberal ranks. I watched Rick Mercer tonight and marvelled at how he generates more forceful opposition to Harper in a half hour show than the entire Liberal caucus does in a month.
Meanwhile Iffy is on another bus tour and his trained seals clap their flippers dutifully.
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