Why Bush Environmental Policy is So Far Off

I honestly believe that many, maybe most, Americans suffer from a fundamental misunderstanding as to many scientific issues, including global warming (along with Stem Cell Research and Evolution). Among the misinformed is the President.

Yesterday Bush stated, "New technologies will change how we live and how we drive our cars, which all will have the beneficial effect of improving the environment."

What he fails to understand is that no current technology purports an ability to improve the environment. How could it? The issue is not whether our activities are helping the environment or hurting it, the issue is how badly are our activities hurting the environment. Shouldn't we always seek to do as little harm as possible. Besides, if Bush honestly believes that industry can create technologies that will improve the environment, why isn't he demanding (even if only informally) that such technologies be more aggressively pursued?

Bush continued: "in my judgment we need to set aside whether or not greenhouse gases have been caused by mankind or because of natural effects and focus on the technologies that will enable us to live better lives and at the same time protect the environment."

Again, he severely misses the crucial point. If mankind is causing harm to the environment, those harmful activities can and should be resticted to the greatest degree practicable.

Why is that such an unreasonable proposition?