Top > Business > 2007 > January > 2007-01-05

The future of the energy debate

Despite the USA`s status in the world as the largest economy of the world, the country has remained unusually shy about its commitments to fighting the causes of climate change. Although involved in bilateral and regional pacts like the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, The International Partnership for Hydrogen Economy and others, real attention and serious funding has long been missing from the United States` efforts of fighting climate change. And while the newly elected Democratic Congress has not written the green agenda on their party flag, as Barbara Boxer, Democrat, replacing Senator James Inhofe, Republican, takes over as the chair of the body`s environmental committee could mean a more serious climate policy.

The time is right, as the dispute between scientists about the true causes and possible effects of human behavior on climate change is set to be settled by a mass of evidence on human influence on climate brought together by the National Academy of Science and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Even though the Democratic Congress with its best intentions will hardly manage to make a dent into a Bush-Cheney fabricated climate policy of disengagement, more funding for R&D seems possible.

In the meanwhile, Europe, and even China, which has more stringent fuel efficiency standards than the US, have managed to make progress with an emissions trading system and in the promotion of topics like renewable energy and efficiency. Many countries find that there is a growing market out there for cleaner technology and alternative energy solutions, and they are using the United States` sleepiness in order to get ahead in these innovative fields. Still, while the sleeping giant won`t be rushing to sign international climate agreements any time soon, there is a chance that the US is waking up to the possibilities of climate damage control.