With the latest show of commitment towards dumping the Kyoto Protocols, President George W. Bush has brought upon the US some severe tongue-lashing from many of its closest allies. From Germany’s premier, Gerhard Schroeder to Britain’s Environmental Minister, Michael Meaker – the barrage of disappointments have been fierce and furious. They should try and put themselves in his shoes.
Stillborn in Kyoto
Leaders from all over the world are criticizing Bush for effectively killing off the Kyoto Protocols. In the US, environmental NGOs are cursing and swearing that they were duped into supporting him during the elections. His critics’ case is strong: while only having 6% of the world’s population, the US produces 25% of the world’s carbon dioxide, widely accepted by scientists as a gas that contributes to global warming. They argue that the US, being a major contributor, should play a major role in reducing output of these gases. They also add that Bush has become a pawn for the energy industry, traditional backers of the Republican party – as an earlier article in Renungan.com speculated, their involvement and influence may have played a significant role in tipping his hand.
A rock and a hard place
As the pressure mounts on Bush from all sides, it is vital that his actions and decisions be put into perspective. Yes, he did fudge on his campaign promises. Yes, he’s damaging the credibility of the US as a world leader; all hope of the US being a leading voice in this summer’s environmental summit in Germany has probably evaporated. Yes, by not being tough on CO2, he probably is doing some serious long-term damage to the environment. But it is also equally true that he’s governing a nation in the midst of it’s most serious energy crisis for the last 30 years and some tough choices have to be made.
Bush has been caught in a classic leader’s dilemma between doing what’s right and what’s popular. By sticking to the Kyoto Protocols agreed by ex-President Clinton, he may be doing what’s right – cutting 7.2% of its 1990 CO2 emission levels, the US would be making a significant contribution towards protecting the environment. But doing so would severely hamper his ongoing efforts to resolve the nation’s looming energy crisis. Already, electricity prices have risen to a relative all-time high as the energy industry tries to control its usage. Implementing the measures required to enable the US to meet its Kyoto Protocol target would drive prices even higher – the California state legislature has already taken a lot of flak for last week’s 40% rise in energy prices. As other states begin to grumble about their own energy shortages, the US is dangerously near a nationwide crisis.
By the people, for the people
The fact of the matter is this: the Kyoto Protocols would have failed with or without Bush’s input for the simple reason that Congress would never ratify it especially under the country’s current conditions. Even under normal circumstances, any President would have been hard pressed to push it through – the House, after all, is controlled by the Republicans who have continuously vowed to fight ratification of the protocols. But now, with the added pressure coming from constituents who can’t bear to see price hikes in their energy bill, members of Congress would be even more reluctant.
Really, it doesn’t matter who the President is – when the bottom line is threatened, it’s severely difficult to convince people that the environment should be their priority. Bush won last November by doing what politicians do. Let him do his job by doing what a leader has to do.
Appearing in www.renungan.com 1 April 2001
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