Comments:US Senate Panel approves bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

This is being talked about here at the Conference, and is widely regarded as pretty good news by the enviromental NGOs :). The problem is going to be getting it through the senate itself, which I heard one American saying he reckoned was rather unlikely (as they´d need 60 pro to overcome a filibuster by the republicans. Sean Heron 03:32, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

More welfare for the rich
The bottom line here is that if Joe Schmuck's grandchildren want to be allowed to burn a log in their fireplace, they're going to have to pay the descendants of Rich Powerplant for the privilege.* What everyone has taken for granted - the right to burn fuel - will soon be the valued property of certain industrialists, whom our society sees fit to reward for all the good work they've done in getting us into this mess. After this measure the common person will be born with fewer rights and the wealthy person will be born with one more kind of property. All because "democratic government" may have the power to tax poor people for their beer and cigarettes, but it doesn't have the power to tax the rich for polluting - it can only obsequiously offer to pay them for it. 70.15.116.59 07:52, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

* An optimistic view; more likely they'll have to sign contracts committing them to special forms of obedience for the privilege; for all I know they'll have to sacrifice extra offspring to help offset overpopulation...