Before friends of the environment get too worked up about the death of the 2008 Climate Security Act last week, they should note tepid green support all along. So-called Lieberman-Warner was “easily the most aggressive and comprehensive environmental reform ever” in Congress, Dayo Olopade writes in the New Republic, but a more leftist legislature backed by a Democratic president could likely cut deeper.
Some saw the bill as “deeply flawed, a foldable hand in what is proving to be a long round of planetary poker,” Olopade says. The public support is there for sweeping change, and while delay carries a great cost, greens might only get one big shot—and President Obama would likely support tougher standards and more money for renewable energy. (More climate change stories.)