Claim:
“Why all of a sudden is there so much money for, like, global warming? Why is that so high on the president’s agenda? Why are they trying to shut down every coal plant? Have you checked the temperature lately? The new budget contains a cap-and-trade program that is supposed to limit carbon dioxide emissions. Oh, the trees will love it. But if it performs anywhere near as well as the one in Europe — because that one’s great — it will likely limit nothing except corporate profits and economic growth.
“…So, if we’re worried about the economy, why is that there? Remember one thing: The problem is the solution. The answer to why we’re talking about global warming is contained right there in the name — global. Global warming fits perfectly with a global New Deal, because they’re both focused on solving everyone’s problems all at once — controlling your life globally — while ensuring that America takes on the majority of the world’s burden.”
— Glenn Beck, the Glenn Beck show on Fox News, March 3, 2009
Truth:
The conspiracy theorists are out in force when it comes to global warming action, and Glenn Beck’s quote captures the sentiment perfectly.
Let’s be clear, fighting global warming will require action at all levels of government and from every individual, household, business and community in America and around the world.
The good news is that many entities at many levels are doing their part. Already, 935 cities have signed on to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Plan and two dozen states have joined regional efforts to manage global warming emissions.
Many businesses, from Wal-Mart to Google, have taken action to improve energy efficiency and cut global warming emissions.
On the international level, 183 countries and the European Economic Community have ratified the Kyoto Protocol. The United States is one of only a handful of countries — including Chad, Brunei, and Zimbabwe — that never ratified Kyoto.
In other words, the federal government of the United States is one of a dwindling few entities on the planet that hasn’t taken action.
It’s a global conspiracy alright, a global conspiracy to work on this issue, and the U.S. government has stubbornly declined to participate.
It’s time for America to act and to lead on this critical global environmental threat.
2 Comments
Someone should tell Glenn Beck that it quite behooves the US to “take on the majority of the world’s burden” since the US–along with China–are causing most of the carbon dioxide!
I agree that there is a huge financial element to the Global Warming argument. Certainly people will be forced to pay for carbon credits, etc to offset their emissions, the same way large corporations do.
But perhaps Global Warming is also real, and these people are just trying to ride the coat tails of global destruction to make a few bucks.
The debate will continue.