Schwarzenegger Signs Global Warming Bill

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday signed into law a sweeping global warming initiative that imposes the nation's first cap on greenhouse gas emissions, saying the effort kicks off ''a bold new era of environmental protection.''

Schwarzenegger called the fight against global warming one of the most important issues of modern times.

''We simply must do everything we can in our power to slow down global warming before it is too late,'' Schwarzenegger said during an address before signing the bill.

Mayor Gavin Newsom and New York Gov. George Pataki, as well as Democratic legislators, joined Schwarzenegger for the high-profile ceremony. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who struck a deal with Schwarzenegger over the summer to develop clean technologies, joined the ceremony via video link.

Blair called the bill-signing ''a proud day for political leadership'' and ''a historic day for the rest of the world, as well.''

California's efforts on global warming have been in the spotlight since Schwarzenegger and the state's legislative Democrats reached an accord last month on the Democrat-authored bill to cut greenhouse gases.

Schwarzenegger called the bill signing a historic occasion. He expected other states, the federal government and even other nations to follow.

Schwarzenegger said it is possible to protect the environment as well as the state's economy. He expects the law will lead to a new business sector in California devoted to developing the technologies industries can use to meet the tougher emission requirements.

''We can save our planet and boost our economy at the same time,'' the governor said.

One man that has been in the news for the last few weeks is Al Gore. The former vice president has been championing the need to reduce pollution and make people aware of Global Warming and its consequences.

Here is a nice interview conducted by the London Metro....

60 SECONDS: Al Gore
Graeme Greene - Thursday, September 14, 2006

Al Gore was the 45th vice president of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001 in the Clinton administration. He ran as the Democratic candidate for president, losing to George W Bush in the contested 2000 election, which many believe Gore won. He is currently starring in global warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, out in cinemas now.

How are you enjoying being a film star rather than a politician?
[Laughs] I take that label with a big grain of salt. I’m old enough to know a red carpet is just a rug.

The film’s called An Inconvenient Truth. Inconvenient for who?
The wealthy and powerful polluters - oil companies - and their allies, particularly in American politics, such as George W Bush and Dick Cheney. If they accepted the truth, then they would have a moral obligation to make big changes and they don’t want to. Their strategy is to pretend that the truth is not yet established. It’s a strategy based on dishonesty.

How bad is the situation?
We’re putting 70million tons of pollution into the Earth’s atmosphere every day, trapping an enormous amount of extra heat from the Sun inside the Earth’s atmosphere. It’s threatening to push the planet past a tipping point beyond which climate change would be difficult to stop.

Will saving the environment require a radical change in Western lifestyles?
The biggest changes will be in government policies but there’s no doubt that some changes will have to be made by all of us. Many welcome the changes as, in many cases, ‘green’ technology is better. For example, hybrid cars perform better and last longer, so the fact that they pollute less is only one of their benefits. When you switch to the new energy-saving light bulbs, they only need to be changed one tenth as often. As we get deeper into the solving of this crisis, we’ll be confronted with new designs, new architectural solutions and so on.

How fast do we need to act?
Respected scientists are saying we may have as little as ten years to start making significant changes. I think we’ll do it in less time. In fact, I predict Bush will change his position within two years.

It was a mistake to invade Iraq when it had nothing to do with 9/11. I’d have concentrated on finding Bin Laden

Do you think it will become a priority voter issue, above crime, education, healthcare, tax...?
Yes. In America, 85 conservative evangelical ministers supportive of Bush and Cheney just announced they’re changing their position and are calling on their congregations to make this a priority. We have a long way to go but the movement is heading in the right direction.

How much is environmental progress hindered by the main players in the Bush administration having connections with the oil industry?
That’s a big part of the problem in America but I think they’re going to have to change. Their ties to the oil industry help to explain their inaction but the weight of the evidence for global warming is piling up, putting enormous pressure on them to face up to the truth.

Is there still resistance to the argument that we’re damaging the environment?
Fifteen per cent of the population believe the Moon landing was actually staged in a movie lot in Arizona and somewhat fewer still believe the Earth is flat. I think they all get together with the global warming deniers on a Saturday night and party.

How disappointed were you by the 2000 election result?
I was strongly in disagreement with the Supreme Court’s decision that Bush won. In the American system, there’s no step between a definitive Supreme Court decision and violent revolution. I didn’t choose the latter.

Did you consider it?
[Laughs] I can’t even joke about it. I had to either respect the law, or not. When people say I did the right thing, I quote Winston Churchill: ‘American people generally do the right thing after first exhausting every available alternative.’

Did it take long for you to bounce back
There are millions of people who have been through experiences that were so much worse than mine. Was it difficult? Of course but you move on and make the best of it. One of the truths of the human condition is that we often learn the most from the most difficult experiences.

Many say you won the election.
Oh, there’s no question about that.

You and George Bush in a room, alone for five minutes. What would you do?
We would have a civil conversation.

Not even a few jabs?
No.

Will you run again in 2008?
I haven’t ruled it out 100 per cent but I don’t expect to. I really don’t. I’m not trying to be coy.

Do you think Hillary Clinton would make a good president?
I’m not going to get drawn into a premature discussion of the presidential possibilities.

Are Americans open to the idea of a female president?
Of course. Britain had a female prime minister.

The presidency comes with a few perks. If you had got in, which would have been your favourite abuse of the position?
Air Force One is very nice. I thought about that when I took off my shoes and belt and gave up my toothpaste at Heathrow this morning [laughs].

As president, would you have handled 9/11 differently?
I’d like to think I’d have handled the immediate aftermath as well as Bush did - he rallied the country and invaded Afghanistan to go after Osama bin Laden but he started to make serious mistakes soon after. It was a mistake to invade Iraq when it had nothing to do with 9/11. I’d have concentrated on finding Bin Laden and the people who attacked us and I’d have rallied the American people to become independent of Middle Eastern oil so we could be more in control of our own destiny.

Do you see oil as the main cause of global conflict?
As long as we’re dependent on the most unstable region in the world for the lifeblood of our economy, we’re going to face these repeated dangers. Right now, we’re borrowing enormous amounts of money from China to buy enormous amounts of oil from Saudi Arabia to convert it into enormous amounts of pollution in the Earth’s atmosphere. That’s not a good pattern. We need to change every part of it.