Bush's Global Warming Initiative

President Bush unveiled his long-awaited

global warming initiative on February 14. Rather than seeking to cap (or reduce) actual greenhouse gas emissions, the initiative calls for a reduction in “greenhouse gas intensity”—the amount of greenhouse gases produced per dollar of gross domestic product (GDP). Specifically, the plan calls for an 18% reduction in this greenhouse gas intensity over the next 10 years—from 183 metric tons per million dollars of GDP to 151 metric tons per million dollars of GDP. This reduction would be achieved through voluntary emissions reductions, advances in energy technologies, and tax credits for various renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, however, the reduction in greenhouse gas intensity would probably happen anyway, since our economy has been getting more energy-efficient for years. From 1990 to 2000, the U.S. greenhouse gas emission intensity fell by 17.4%. The Sierra Club says that under the Bush plan, total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2010 will exceed by 36% what would have been permitted under the Kyoto treaty.