Joseph Romm, the indefatigable policy analyst at Climate Progress, has a thoughtful summation of the climate bill that passed the House last week. He makes the point that despite some shortcomings, the passage was a milestone in a larger process.
It is worth noting that the original Clean Air Act — first passed in 1963 — also didn’t do enough and was subsequently strengthened many times. Similarly, the 1987 Montréal protocol would not have stopped concentrations of ozone depleting substances from rising and would not have saved the ozone layer. But it began a process and established a framework that, like the CAA, could be strengthened over time as the science warranted. The painful reality of climate change is going to become increasingly obvious in the coming years, and strengthening is inevitable.
Al Gore called the bill “one of the most important pieces of legislation Congress will ever pass,” and said it will set the stage for global treaty talks in December.
Still, the Times noted:
But the legislation, a patchwork of compromises, falls far short of what many European governments and environmentalists have said is needed to avert the worst effects of global warming. And it pitted liberal Democrats from the East and West Coasts against more conservative Democrats from areas dependent on coal for electricity and on heavy manufacturing for jobs.
In other words, stay tuned for more battles ahead.