So true, that much of policy making can be compared to the mixture of contemplation and action that exemplifies chess.
June 01, 2007
Climate Change Chess
David B. Sandalow, The Brookings Institution
In the chess game of global warming negotiations, President George W. Bush made an interesting move Thursday.
The move was tactical, not strategic. The President's proposal will make his conversations at the G8 Summit in Germany this week more pleasant. It helps avoid a major confrontation with key allies over a contentious issue.
Yet in announcing plans to convene a conference of 15 major emitters this fall, President Bush stuck with the broad strategy his administration has been pursuing on global warming for several years. An earlier Bush initiative convened major emitters from Asia, bringing together workgroups of industry leaders to discuss new technologies. The President suggests similar discussions under this initiative as well.
In doing so, the President refused to shift on core issues such as binding reduction targets for heat-trapping gases. His aides specifically rejected international emissions trading, an American idea with roots in the first Bush administration which harnesses the power of the market to help reduce emissions.
The decision to convene 15 major emitters instead of the entire world is sensible. However a conference of major emitters will be an odd forum for considering a "global goal," as the President proposes. Many countries not represented -- such as poor African nations and small island states -- will be among those most hurt by global warming. These countries should have a strong voice in decisions on a global goal
