Bush continues to avoid tackling climate change, while China takes a first step towards a solution

The US under the ‘leadership‘ of George W. Bush as been one of the worlds worst leaders when it comes to climate change, from denying the problem exists to muzzling climate scientists, this administrations actions on this issue have been abysmal. Now after finally accepting the reality of climate change, the Bush administration has refused to implement any plan to tackle the problem.

U.S. President George W. Bush said on Monday his administration’s approach of emphasizing voluntary approaches to address climate change was working and he denounced Kyoto-style mandatory caps as “bad policy.”

Bush’s comments were the latest sign that his opposition to binding emissions caps remains firmly entrenched, even as he has made efforts to show he wants to be more engaged in the global debate on climate change amid sharp criticism from other countries…

“I’m interested in good policy. Kyoto, I thought, was bad policy,” Bush said.

Good policy would be policy that yields measurable results. While the US likes to claim that it has reduced its emissions intensity, the Bush administrations policies have yet to reduce the absolute levels of greenhouse gases, and it is the absolute levels that influence climate. In other words they have failed.

China on the other hand has taken the first steps in implementing policy to cut back on pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

China is considering an environmental tax on polluters to cut emissions, a senior government official said on Monday.

“We are actively promoting this idea. But we have to consult with relevant ministries,” Pan Yue, deputy head of the State Environmental Protection Administration, told reporters on the sidelines of the ruling Communist Party’s five-yearly Congress.

Beijing has put environmental protection at the centre stage of its macro policies guiding the world’s fourth-largest economy to achieve sustainable growth, though analysts are skeptical when it comes to implementing the well-intented rules.

Pan did not give details on the scope of the tax levy or a timeframe when such a new policy would come into effect.

President Hu Jintao, speaking earlier on Monday to delegates at the 17th Party Congress, said China’s economic growth has come at “an excessively high cost of resources and the environment.” He vowed to improve the pricing mechanism for scarce resources to account for environmental costs, among other market factors.

While this is obviously only a first step, and it is entirely possible that this plan will fall through, be poorly implemented or will be rendered ineffective by corruption, the mere talk of a pollution tax is an encouraging sign from China, who has historically virtually done nothing to protect its environment.

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