This April, the public is invited to hear Dr. James White and
Christopher Horner discuss opposing views on the global climate debate,
specifically in regard to the Kyoto Protocol. Sponsored by the
Centennial Institute of Colorado Christian University, the debate is
scheduled for April 8, 7:30-9:00 p.m., in the Lakewood Cultural Center,
470 S. Allison Pkwy., Lakewood, 80226.
The debate topic will be "Global Warming: Is the Kyoto Agenda
Warranted?" Dr. White, taking the affirmative, is a professor of
geological sciences as well as a fellow and the director of INSTAAR at
the University of Colorado-Boulder. He specializes in global change,
paleoclimate dynamics, and biogeochemistry. Christopher Horner, taking
the opposite position, is a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise
Institute (CEI) in Washington, D.C. As an attorney, he has represented
CEI, scientists, and members of the U.S. House and Senate on matters of
environmental policy in federal courts, and he is the author of two
books on the climate issue.
"We are delighted to have these two nationally respected advocates
facing off on one of today's most controversial issues," commented John
Andrews, director of the Centennial Institute. "The two sides on global
warming don't often directly engage, so this will be a notable occasion
for civic dialogue in Colorado. We hope many interested citizens will
attend."
The Kyoto Protocol is part of an environmental treaty produced at the
1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. The
treaty was intended to address rising levels of carbon dioxide and other
gases linked to global warming, with a stipulation (Kyoto) for
industrialized countries to reduce certain collective emissions by
approximately five percent compared to levels in 1990. Proponents argued
that such action should be quickly and fully implemented to avoid
catastrophic harm to ecosystems and human civilization. Adopted for use
in 1997 and put into force in 2005, Kyoto had been ratified by183
parties as of 2008. Across the last decade, however, the protocol has
been criticized as flawed, especially in consideration of political and
economic factors.
Neither the Clinton administration nor that of George W. Bush submitted
the protocol for ratification. While President Obama has likewise not
moved to ratify, he has indicated that the United States will take a
front seat in the international climate effort. The America's Climate
Security Act of 2007, commonly known as the Cap and Trade Bill, is an
alternative agreement being proposed by the president before Congress.
If passed, this legislation would increase U.S. alignment with Kyoto
standards. Yet some authorities have suggested that the bill will slow
economic growth and lead to the largest tax hike in U.S. history while
doing little to reduce temperature increases.
The Centennial Institute is a think tank recently established by
Colorado Christian University. The Institute sponsors research, events,
and publications to enhance public understanding of the most important
issues facing our state and nation, thereby fostering faith, family,
freedom, and citizenship. Director John Andrews, a former Colorado
Senate president, is also the host of Backbone Radio, a TV commentator,
and a columnist for The Denver Post.