The Good GuysIn a somewhat belated ruling yesterday the United States Supreme Court formally adjucated CO2 as a Greenhouse Gas that is at least partially responsible for a measure of Global warming. The justices ruled that CO2 falls within the admittedly rather broad definition of 'air pollutants' as defined under the Clean Air Act. Appeals are certain to follow paid for by the likes of the Competitive Enterprise Institute which made this amazing comment:"The decision implies that Congress ratified the Kyoto Protocol in 1977 when it enacted the Clean Air Act's Section 202 regulating auto emissions, but somehow forgot to tell anybody," said CEI Senior Fellow Marlo Lewis. The Kyoto Protocol, drawn up in 1997, requires industrialized countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions by specified amounts. The U.S. did not ratify the treaty.A ruling in the United States that recognizes CO2 as a Greenhouse Gas is considered by groups, lobbyists and think tanks of this ilk as victory for the bad guys. Meaning Al Gore, climate scientists & coastal dwellers worldwide. Its more opera bouffe than anything else but watch for the counter lobby and the appeal which could be as interesting as the Scopes Monkey Trial as it plays out. Regulatory implications to follow:
Friends of the Earth