Lindsey Graham, one of the “more sensible” Senate Republicans, said he won’t support a climate change plan, because, well, the challenge is too hard. The National Journal reports (behind a paywall):
Graham said his advice to lawmakers is to “start over and scale down your ambitions.” This includes allowing electric utilities more time to meet their emission reduction targets and completely removing energy-intensive manufacturers and other industries from a carbon control plan.
Graham’s surrender suggests a climate bill is dead for the rest of the year, and quite likely for the next few election cycles. Maybe the Earth will put geophysics on hold for a decade or a so while we wait for a few senators to retire?
This all got Economist writer Ryan Avent a-pondering:
@ryanavent: “I’m trying to think what it would take to change the dynamic on climate legislation, and failing to come up with anything.”
And:
@ryanavent: “I’d say a series of calamitous environmental disasters and natural catastrophes, but…”
A response:
@ethorson: I posed the same question to my class this semester. Their conclusion was “a country of white people sinking into the sea.”
I’m finding it hard to type with my face on my keyboarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
