Daley Just Talks the Talk

Published June 20, 2007

Dear Editor:

“Daley’s city not so ‘green'” (June 18) illustrates the difference between talking the talk and walking the walk regarding greenhouse gases. Just as European governments make self-laudatory statements about joining the Kyoto Protocol and then do little as their emissions soar, Chicago’s global warming emissions continue to soar even as Mayor Daley is a national leader in fiery global warming rhetoric.

While Europe and cities like Chicago talk the talk but emit ever-increasing amounts of greenhouse gases, the “do-nothing” policies of the Bush administration seem to have more real-world effect. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/flash/pdf/flash.pdf), total U.S. emissions declined in 2006, which continues a six-year trend of stable greenhouse gas emissions.

Perhaps Mayor Daley could spend a little more time inquiring into what has worked at the national level and a little less time blustering about being holier than everybody else.

James M. Taylor ([email protected]) is senior fellow for environment policy at The Heartland Institute.