Suffice it to say, there's been a lot of commentary about President Bush's State of the Union Address. Some of it applauds his (finally) addressing the issue of global climate change; some of it downplays the significance and/or potential impact of what he proposed.

Let's start our review with a New York Times/Reuters story out of Davos, Switzerland that surveys business leaders' reactions to what "W" had to say:

It's a good step, but we need to take many more. (Duke Energy chief executive James Rogers)

President Bush barely mentioned climate change in his speech. The few measures he did announce were about improving fuel use efficiency and developing alternative fuels, driven by fear about U.S. energy security… There was no mention of emissions trading, carbon taxes or public transport. (Australian Greens Senator Christine Milne)

He is diluting the issue by talking in terms of cutting the United States' oil dependency, rather than in terms of the serious environmental consequences. (K. Srinivas, campaigner for climate change and energy for Greenpeace India)

He did not talk in his State of the Union address about international cooperation on climate change. But at the same time, he did put his remarks in the context of the need for global response. (Yvo de Boer, head of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat)

The bottom line from Davos:

While supporting the White House nod to alternative energies such as ethanol, wind, solar and nuclear power, corporate executives meeting at the Swiss ski resort of Davos said they wanted Washington to lock in stricter U.S. emissions standards.

The Christian Science Monitor recap featured British Prime Minister'sTony Blair's reaction:

The signs from the State of the Union are positive, but we do need to make sure we get a binding international framework that allows us to tackle this issue [climate change] at the only level ultimately it can be tackled, which is by making sure we have an agreement with all the major countries including America, China, and India.

Turning from talk to action, Steve Cochran, Global Warming Campaign Director for Environmental Defense, offered this glass-is-half-full assessment of the situation on January 23rd:

Change is in the air.

President Bush said the words "climate change" last night, marking the first time that he has mentioned this urgent environmental threat in a State of the Union speech.

Obviously we need more - and there is more.

His prescription for action – calling on America to produce upwards of 35 billion gallons of biofuels by 2017 and to improve auto fuel efficiency – is significant.

If channeled in the right directions, it would result in nearly a fivefold increase in biofuel production, help spur capital investments in low carbon fuels and reduce America's gasoline consumption.

That would be a good start.  

However, President Bush is missing a huge opportunity to support an economy-wide national cap on America's global warming pollution. Without a cap, his proposal falls well short of comprehensive and effective global warming action.

Cochran goes on to enumerate a list of recent events, stating:

There has never been more energy behind our global warming campaign. Taken together, these events represent unprecedented momentum in our fight for meaningful global warming action:

• Yesterday, Environmental Defense joined 10 major U.S. businesses and 3 other environmental groups to urge swift national action to cut America's global warming pollution;
• As many as 7 global warming bills have been or are expected to be introduced in the Senate in the coming weeks;
• Congressional Committee and Subcommittee Chairs in both the House and Senate are scheduling dozens of hearings on global warming solutions in the next several weeks;
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced last week that she is creating a special select committee on global warming solutions;
• The House of Representatives voted last week to reallocate energy subsidies from oil and natural gas industries to invest in renewable energy technologies;
• California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a low carbon fuel standard to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 10% in all fuels sold in California by 2020;
• All leading major party presidential candidates are on record supporting strong national global warming action;
• According to news accounts, the upcoming report from the International Panel on Climate Change is expected to use the strongest language yet linking global warming pollution to rising temperatures;
• At least 8 governors have mentioned global warming in their State of the States, including Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC), who called for a state level climate change stakeholders' conference.

Meanwhile, on 575 college and university campuses across the United States and Canada, students are mobilizing to demand immediate action to end our addiction to fossil fuels and urge their campus administrators to enact clean energy policies as a key solution to the impending climate crisis. Dubbed Rising to the Climate Challenge: Visions of Our Future, this week-long series of actions is coordinated by the Campus Climate Challenge.

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