The economic crisis gripping the US may bring down one of the main environmental objectives: capping the greenhouse gases that are blamed for global warming.
The focus on stabilizing the economy probably will make it more difficult to pass a law to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Just months ago, chances for legislation passing in the next Congress and becoming law looked promising. The presidential candidates support mandatory cuts and a Democratic majority is ready to act on the problem after years of the Bush administration resisting federal controls.
But the most popular remedy for slowing global warming, a mechanism know as cap-and-trade, could put further stress on a failing economy.
Under such a system, the government would establish a market for carbon dioxide by giving or selling credits to companies with operations that emit greenhouse gases. The companies can then choose whether to invest in technologies to reduce emissions to meet targets or instead buy credits from other companies who have already met them.