Washington delays climate change debate until 2009

摘要

While pressure is mounting among US lawmakers and regulators to follow the EU's example and require binding cuts in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to fight climate change, nothing is likely to happen until 2009. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a government body that could mandate cuts if it wanted, decided last week to essentially kick the issue into touch by "inviting comment" on how to proceed. This stalling tactic has been endorsed by US President George Bush, whose administration was deeply unhappy with an April 2007 US Supreme Court ruling that gave the EPA the authority to regulate GHG emissions.