EDITORIAL
We must atone for snubbing Kyoto pact

It's undeniably embarrassing that the United States is not among the major industrialized nations that have agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, which took effect yesterday.

Even those who scoff at the notion of global warming cannot ignore the bizarre weather patterns or "global weirdness" brought on, many experts say, by man-made emissions.

But rather than focus on what could have been had we joined Kyoto, attention is now appropriately focused on how the United States can do its part. As the world's leading source of greenhouse gases, it's clearly our responsibility to reduce their negative effects on the environment, and protect future generations.

As voters, we can pressure our representatives in government to support meaningful domestic emissions regulations. While most U.S. senators opposed Kyoto, many support regulation of carbon dioxide emissions, according to Dr. ZhongXiang Zhang, a fellow in energy and environmental economics at the East-West Center in Manoa.

Indeed, U.S. Sens. John McCain and Joe Lieberman are dusting off their Climate Stewardship Act, which sets limits on greenhouse gases and establishes a system for trading emissions credits. It's time to get it passed.

Meanwhile, various states are doing their part to limit greenhouse gases. In California, the Air Resources Board has required automakers to sell low-emission vehicles starting in 2009. And nine Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states are considering a cooperative effort known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to cut carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.

While Hawai'i's burning of fossil fuels is infinitely lower than California's and that of the Northeast, Hawai'i can do its part in limiting greenhouse gases, at the very least to heal our dying coral reefs and ocean environment.

And as consumers, we can generate a demand for vehicles that do not rely solely on fossil fuels. Few would disagree that this unhealthy dependence has tied us to volatile countries and ignited more than a couple of wars.

The Bush administration has recognized the need for new technology to address climate problems. But controlling emissions and producing clean energy are not mutually exclusive. Both are needed to turn back the effects of global warming and restore predictability in our climate.