The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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March 6, 2007

Our View -- Climate concern is bipartisan

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There’s a group of angry and motivated Republicans denouncing global warming around the world, in Washington, D.C., and on the Internet.

Their motivation and success should give rise to the little known and infrequently mentioned idea that global warming is not a liberal/conservative battle.

Republicans for Environmental Protection admits global warming is a problem. It goes much further than that, however.

“Scientific facts mean little to political ideologues whose minds are locked up in a narrow-minded view of the world. The fact is that the global climate is indeed warming and scientists are surer than ever that atmospheric carbon dioxide buildup due to human activity is a major cause,” writes Chester Sansbury, REP Director Emeritus, to the South Carolina Free Times.

“Our federal government and our own state are doing very little to confront the cost of a warming world to our society.”

A look at the apolitical nature of the global warming issue may be more important now considering the languishing Bush Administration report on global warming that states the United States will create 20 percent more greenhouse gases by 2020 than it did in 2000.

The report is over a year late to the United Nations, but proves to be embarrassing for the simple truths we are presenting about our use of fossil fuels and contributions to global warming.

The draft report, a copy of which was obtained by the Associated Press, say the Bush Administration’s current policies on global warming will create 9.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases by 2020, about 19 percent increase from 2000.

This report comes on the heals of a credible report from the U.N. done by hundreds of scientists and government officials that global warming is “very likely” caused by manmade sources and will continue even if we work to reduce emissions now. The report was approved by 113 nations including the United States.

The recent Bush administration draft report apparently says the administration’s goal is to slow the growth rate of greenhouse gases “as the science justifies.” Usually that’s a code word for an earlier Bush argument that we can’t cut global warming because it would hurt the economy.

But going back to the Republicans for Environmental Protection, the issue can be argued as one that is truly conservative.

According to REP’s Web site:

“Conservation and the responsible stewardship of our natural resources are inherently conservative values that have their foundation in the writings of great conservative thinkers such as Edmund Burke, Russell Kirk and Richard Weaver. Still, there is the widespread public perception that conservation and environmental protection is a liberal cause. This myth must be dispelled in order make the environmental policy debate less polarized and make responsible environmental protection, as President Nixon said, “a cause beyond party and beyond factions.”

The group urges other Republicans to change the views of the leadership of their party. It’s an argument well taken.

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