Where Did Global Warming Go?

The article Where Did Global Warming Go discusses how “America has turned agnostic on the issue” of global warming. The article states that when Barak Obama was running for president, he warned about man-made global warming and supported legislation to curb emissions, however, two years later most other nations accept global warming as a problem, while the United States has taken somewhat of a back seat.

John Ashton, Britain’s special representative for climate change, said in an interview that “in the U.K., in Europe, in most places I travel to, the starting point for conversation is that this is real, there are clear and present dangers, so let’s get a move on and respond.” In the United States, “the right wing of the Republican Part has managed to turn skepticism about man-made global warming into a requirement for electability, forming an unlikely triad with antiabortion and gun-rights beliefs. Also, in findings from a Pew poll this spring “75 percent of staunch conservatives, 63 percent of libertarians and 55 percent of Main Street Republicans said there was no solid evidence of global warming,”

I believe global warming is a big problem, not just in the United States but also around the world. However, it seems like other countries are responding to global warming with more alarm then the United States. The United States needs to do something about this pressing issue. The United States is seen as a global power and since the Obama has won presidency, we are losing that power. If the EU is doing more and China and India are on board, and the United States is doing nothing, that is seen as weak. The EU is calling us out as not doing anything.  If the U.S. wants to keep its power and not lose their meager AA bond rating to China on having the largest Army, it’s time for America to step up and become the leader. We have gone into these countries the last 20 years to show them how America is great and how these countries can be too. However, these countries that were the apprentice, are now in charge and making the U.S. look like the old boss that is irrelevant.

There needs to be a committee and serious one to commit to working with the EU, India and China to show we are a major player. Most or around 60% of the revenues of the S&P 500 are going to the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries. If India with almost 1.22 billion and the Chinese with 1 billion people can put in commission reduction laws/actions then America needs to get off their fat butts and start doing something with the meager 350 million people we have. The article also hits a point about Americans wanting the biggest cars, and houses. That’s what got us in the financial crisis, not Wall Street. Back to global warming and why Americans wanting bigger homes and cars are putting more pollution in the air then ever before. Plus we are so reliant on oil it is disgusting. People in the U.S. have to chose feeding their children or putting on the heat due to increase oil costs. It is time the United States puts in the energy and technology on becoming green. There is a potentially new bill that will be passed that will give graduating PHD's and Doctors who are on VISAs a 10 year visa to stay in the country and work.  These are the people we need to develop green energy to reduce our carbon footprint. This could be one step that America takes to keeping highly educated people in the States to deal with developing greener solutions.