Climate Change: Next step is a joke

The president's initiative on global warming reminds us of an old joke: We live in Seattle where it takes a long time to make our minds up about solutions. But once we do ... we really move slowly.

"It is now time for the U.S. to look beyond 2012 and take the next step," President Bush said. "We're willing to include this plan in a binding international agreement, so long as our fellow major economies are prepared to include their plans in such an agreement." Now this is an interesting message: We'll slow our rush to destroy the world, if you do.

Bush, of course, can toss around dates such as 2012 with ease because he won't be in office. In fact, in nine months it will be someone else's job to toss around those dates.

We think the big issue is this: How much does the country want to spend on adaptation -- building higher sea walls and that sort of infrastructure -- versus how much should we spend on mitigation? It seems less expensive and more ethical to us -- especially now -- to reduce greenhouse gases and the very impacts of global warming.

The president clings to the idea that every climate initiative will be costly and, as he puts it, "would have crippling effects on our entire economy." Sure, change will be expensive -- but it could also be profitable. The best way for that course to begin is for the nation's leader to engage its citizens in an honest conversation about environmental limits, opportunities and priorities.

But we'll wait on that notion until January.