Global Warming Debate in Supreme Court
When I first read that the Supreme Court is debating global warming and whether the U.S. Government should have more stringent emissions regulations on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from automobiles, my heart skipped a beat. The Supreme Court is going to decide whether the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should treat CO2 emissions as a pollution regulated under federal law, specifically under the Clean Air Act. That must mean that this is really important, but why?
After marinating in the notion of the highest court of our country discussing such a seriously contended issue as global warming, I began to understand my internal reaction.
This decision could, in essence, dictate how the United States treats global warming.
I hope we will see some interesting debate this fall. So why is the fact that the Supreme Court deliberating about global warming this fall important? This decision may be held as a final say on the subject of global warming/climate change and how our government should proceed with policy and regulation. This could go one of two ways. One is obvious – continue on the current path of trade and economics before environment. But, if it is determined that CO2 is damaging the air enough to regulate it, we may see regulation beyond automobiles to other forms of transportation (airplanes are a big contributor) or to stationary emitters (factories). That would be super responsible of us. It may even set a global trend (as some of our environmental law certainly has in the past). It could be a move toward responsible globalization.
It’s about time the feds step up to the plate on this matter, but I pray that their approach is a cautious one.
Jennifer Veilleux
Dr. Jennifer Veilleux is a geographer, writer, and artist. For more than a decade, she has worked on scientific research and security issues facing water resources shared across political boundaries. Research and curiosity has taken her to more than 50 countries on 5 continents, often to remote locations and marginalized communities. Veilleux takes portraits of people she encounters in her field work and recently released a collection, Portraits from Rivers of Change, that can be viewed here: www.jenniferveilleux.com. These portraits highlight two separate communities, one on the Mekong River the other on the Blue Nile River, facing relocation due to dam development. Dr. Veilleux works for Florida International University as a post doctoral associate for the Institute of Water and Environment and manages SELVA, the Serengeti-Lake Victoria Sustainable Water Initiative, a research project on water security of the Mara River in the Upper Nile basin of Tanzania. She maintains a blog, The Way of Water, dedicated to news and commentary about development on the Nile and Mekong, general water resources issues, and special topics related to women in science. She lives in Miami with her cat Mr. FC Sweet Tea.
