I would caution those who give too much credence to the events that occurred recently in Bali. Will the Bali Action Plan ultimately lead to major changes in energy production worldwide? I say no. What I do believe is that the plan will lead to more discussion. Of course what we really need is action.

A Complex Problem

Here’s the problem. It is nearly impossible to get all the major countries of the world to agree to the same thing at any given time. There are widely differing interests here. The Europeans are very friendly toward these climate change accords, partly because many of these countries don’t rely on fossil fuels to generate electricity. In France, 70% of electricity is generated by nuclear power plants. Even still, its not clear how many of these countries will meet their Kyoto targets. We know that our neighbors to the north in Canada will not meet their targets.

The developing nations feel penalized by any approach that sets standards across the board. After all, the U.S. and Europeans have had the benefit of being able to pollute for fifty years while some countries are just now moving into their industrial revolution. They feel like they’re being priced out of the market just as they are hitting the world stage.

The U.S. Conundrum

The U.S. is stuck between the developing nations and European interests. We have too great a reliance on fossil fuels (for many complex reasons) to make very drastic changes without seriously damaging the interests of businesses that the government relies on to pay a lot of taxes. And the U.S. government is not in a position to give up our clean energy technologies to the poorer countries that are demanding access in exchange for agreeing to meet emissions reduction targets. The best technologies are being developed by private corporations. So the U.S. position is that everyone should be subject to emissions reduction targets on equal terms.

It is also worthwhile to point out that ten years ago the U.S. Senate voted a whopping 95-0 against the U.S. signing Kyoto for mostly the same reasons. The U.S. does not want to be held out as a scapegoat for a worldwide problem.

Who Is Really To Blame?

To hear some people tell the story it is the United States that is to blame for the lack of a signed and delivered worldwide agreement to reduce carbon emissions. I will repeat. It is nearly impossible to get all the major countries of the world to agree to the same thing at any given time. Why should this situation be any different? For the U.S. this is a no win situation. If we agree to the reductions demanded by the European nations then we must also agree with the demands of the developing countries who want preferred access to the technology or more likely a nice fat check in lieu of the solar panels and wind turbines.

So you can blame the U.S. for “holding up the process” but you must remember that treaties are only pieces of paper and do not guarantee action or success. The results of Kyoto have taught us this very well. People also need to understand the U.S. form of government. There’s a reason that the U.S. Senate vote went the way it did in 1997. When the U.S. Representatives take back the details to their constituencies their will certainly be plenty of debate.

Opinions Will Fly

This debate is not going away anytime soon. And there is debate happening. Just look at these two pieces in Wired and National Review describing the political situation surrounding the Bali Action Plan. Wired says, “The US, especially under the present administration, is loathe to do anything that might hurt the oil, gas, and coal industries.” National Review states, “If hypocrisy were a clean energy source, the U.N. could solve the problem of climate change instantly.” Fighting words indeed. When the debate stops that’s when I get worried.

Each Country Must Take Action

Part of the answer to this whole mess involves every country taking what action they can. I can’t speak for other nations but I know that the U.S. is making progress in reducing emissions. A recent Department of Energy report confirms that fact. We’re seeing greatly increased capital investment in new, clean technologies across the board. Wind and solar seem to be particularly robust in their growth. Is it enough? It depends who you ask.

There isn’t a country out there that needs to wait for a U.N. agreement to do something to reduce harmful emissions. Let’s not argue about who the naughtiest kid in the class while we all know that there’s something we can do to improve the situation in the here and now.