Putting Planet Earth on the '08 Agenda

Looks like it's going to be a big week for the environment. Al Gore has kicked off the Fourth of July with an op-ed in the Times calling for a new Kyoto: one in which the United States leads an effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50%, with "differentiated commitments" among participating countries.

The op-ed was published exactly one week before Live Earth, a series of eight concerts worldwide designed to raise awareness of global warming. The concerts are being put on by SOS, in partnership with Gore's own Alliance for Climate Protection.

And don't think that Democrats are the only ones taking a good hard look at how our energy consumption affects the environment. President Bush recently announced a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions world wide.

Could this 4th of July be the start of our independence from carbon-based energy? Regardless, global warming is an issue that every one of the presidential candidates is going to have to address.