Humanature Journal

By Ajay Pradhan | July 19, 2008

The other day I wrote that even though President Bush repealed an executive order banning offshore oil drilling, coastal states are not bound by his executive order to open up their coastal waters for the expansion of offshore oil exploration and drilling.

Federalism in the United States brings together all 50 states as the federal union and the most powerful country in the world. However, federalism does not take away the unique identity and authority that each state enjoys independent of the federation that is the United States of America.

This authority gave some western states the freedom to create what is known as the Western Climate Initiative (WCI). The WCI was initiated by several states on or close to the Pacific rim to design policies and strategies to tackle climate change caused by global warming, regardless of whatever policies or stratagies adopted by the federal government. George W. Bush must have winced when he heard the news the day WCI was started in February 2007. The partners, or those states that signed on to the WCI, were not going to go along with Bush’s wimp policy on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

The WCI is a fitting response to the non-performing, stalling Federal conservative governments in both the U.S. and Canada. It is encouraging to note that the WCI partners include not only states with democratic governors but also republican governors. On the American side, the WCI partners include seven states–Arizona, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington. On the Canadian side, the partners include British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec. And, yesterday, Ontario joined the WCI as a partner, moving the Canadian provincial count in the WCI to four.The joining of Ontario is of particular significance, not only because it is the most populous province in the Canadian federation, but it is the seat of Canadian auto manufacturing, an industry that is going to be significantly influenced by the policies and strategies of the WCI in cutting greenhouse gases. When Ontario joined the WCI yesterday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper must have winced, frustrated that the four Canadian provinces have defied his conservative policy of doing nothing when it comes to greenhouse gas reduction and climate change.

A key part of the initiative includes a “Cap and Trade” policy, which allows polluting companies to buy credit from non-polluting companies. The WCI is not the perfect or the solve-it-all initiative, but it is a good start.

I congratulate premiers Gordon Campbell of British Columbia, Gary Doer of Manitoba, Jean Charest of Quebec and, now, Dalton McGuinty of Ontario for signing on to a worthy initiative. You have shown that inaction is not an option and that there should be no excuse for inaction. Thank you!

http://www.westernclimateinitiative.org/