It's Up to Us Now

The headline read "Leaders hail climate deal but put off hard choices," but the sub header said it all "Key nations led by Barack Obama forge last-minute accord but fail to set deadline to make it legally binding." I mean, if it's not legally binding, what hope do we have of it actually being implemented? The most viable option for reducing emissions now is for individuals to make the lifestyle and financial choices necessary to lower global demand for fossil fuels and to convince business that the best way to meet consumer needs profitably is by offering products and services with a smaller carbon footprint.

I read another article yesterday about how hard Obama worked to try make a deal, but dismissed it initially because of the unambitious targets being proposed by the United States. When I stumbled on a televised documentary called "Can Obama Save the Planet?", I found myself in a more forgiving mood. British journalist Justin Rowlatt ably exposes the domestic hurdles Obama and a Democrat controlled Congress had to surmount just to have a chance of passing bill promising a modest cut of 17% of 2005 emissions by 2020. The documentary has to be seen to be believed, but when you hear the illogical arguments forcefully asserted by the Obama opponents who receive airtime, you realize what he's up against.

A final article in The Japan Times caught my eye because it laid some blame on China and India for diminishing the possibility of a deal in Copenhagen. I like this article because it gives me an excuse to float an idea for the leaders of those two countries that could make them a lot of money in the long run. Why don't they ban the sale of gas powered vehicles by the end of 2015 to create a market for electric powered vehicles? Both countries have emerging middle classes eager to become car owners. Low domestic production costs would mitigate the higher prices of this new technology. Most international competitors would be frozen out of their markets without raising the ire of the WTO. City smog and carbon emissions would be lowered. Last but not least, both countries would be positioned to become world leaders in the electric car market, giving them a foothold in North American and European markets, not to mention pressuring established manufacturers to get their own electric vehicles to market. It's an idea that sounds so good on the surface that I must be missing something huge to explain why laws like this haven't been passed yet in the world's most populous countries.