Finally, America takes the lead on climate change

President Barack Obama's appearance at the U.N. climate change summit in Copenhagen this week will draw the spotlight. But one of the most important developments in the fight against global warming took place in Washington on Monday, when the Environmental Protection Agency ruled that greenhouse gases pose a danger to public health and the environment. This paves the way to regulate them.

With the ruling, the Obama administration sent a clear signal to Congress, to polluters, to climate-change deniers and to negotiators in Denmark trying to hammer out an agreement to replace the expiring Kyoto accord: After years of inaction, America is ready to lead.
Senators reacted quickly. They recognize that it's their job, not the EPA's, to figure out how to limit emissions of heat-trapping gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.
Democrat John Kerry, Independent Joe Lieberman and Republican Lindsey Graham offered more details of their tri-partisan plan to cut emissions by 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, with a long-term target of reducing them by 80 percent. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Susan Collins announced a competing proposal. The House passed its version in June.
Senate legislation isn't likely to be heard until spring, and both plans announced last week are too meek. But the discussion itself is what's important. Obama's leadership has led to renewed hope that the Denmark conference may produce tangible results, if not

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a binding international agreement, because U.S. intransigence has been a primary obstacle in the past. Some affectionately dub the gathering "Hopenhagen."
The controversy over the e-mails dubbed "Climategate" won't stall progress toward a global treaty that can be signed by the United States. Improper behavior by a group of researchers doesn't change the science, which is as clear about the Earth's warming as it is about gravity. Fifty years from now, this incident will be at most a footnote in what by then will be a history of rising seas.
The question for doubters to grapple with now is: What will be the consequences of inaction?
Economically, they could be dire. While the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and others claim regulation would be a job killer, it's increasingly apparent that green businesses will fuel the next boom. Their success will be necessary if the nation hopes to compete globally — let alone help to slow climate change.
Look at California. Its governments and businesses have been far ahead in fostering a green economy, and a study last week showed the results: From January 2007 to 2008, the number of green jobs in the state increased 5 percent, while the overall number of jobs declined 1 percent.
But economics are a minor concern compared with what worries the people of countries like Tuvalu, located halfway between Hawaii and Australia. If temperatures don't stop rising, the entire island could be under water by the end of the century.
That reality is finally leading to action, in Copenhagen and in Washington.