When George W. Bush narrowly won the presidential election, many people suspected it would be a setback to the fight against global warming. But it’s only now with hindsight that we can grasp the severity of that setback.
We know that both men are concerned about US dependence on imported oil and that a sudden disruption to supplies would devastate the US economy. I’m not sure though if they fully realise what the effect on food supply would be.
Because of Al Gore’s passionate interest in climate change we can assume that he would have taken steps to reduce US oil consumption through tax changes and car fuel consumption legislation. US oil imports would then have started to decline so that at some time in the future it would have been possible to manage on the still huge domestic oil production. Worries about oil security would then have eased so that the never-ending turmoil in the Middle East would no longer have been a direct threat to the well being of the US.
George Bush, of course, has no interest in climate change but is extremely concerned about oil security. His response was not to reduce demand but to try to secure supply.
The invasion of Iraq was meant not only to establish a friendly, democratic government right in the centre of things, but also act as a warning to other countries in the region that they should behave or the same could happen to them.
Unfortunately, things have worked out differently; the region is now in danger of the civil war between Shi’ite and Sunny Muslims in Iraq spreading to engulf the entire area. The American public is in no mood to become even more deeply involved and a troop pull-out could be needed before too long leaving the Middle East to its own devices.
So George Bush has made oil supply less secure then ever, and done nothing to fight climate change. A very poor result.