The Climate Three

The Climate Three

They’re three of the biggest hitters in the U.S. Senate.

Lindsey Graham, John Kerry and Joe Lieberman – a Republican, a Democrat and an Independent teaming up to drive climate change legislation forward.

As Lindsey Graham put it: "The green economy is coming we can either follow or lead."

The “Climate Three” didn't say it out loud but it's clear they're fed up with the lack of progress on climate change issues in the U.S. Congress.

Joe Lieberman told journalists in the third floor TV studio waving his arms and striking the microphone as he did so:

“This is the year that we’ve got to reach out and get this done.”

Even as German Chancellor Angela Merkel was making a passionate appeal to a joint meeting of the Congress on Tuesday, behind the scenes Republicans were boycotting a meeting of the Environment Committee which was trying to carve out legislation aimed at reducing America’s carbon footprint.

The Republicans say it’s not clear how much the legislation will risk jobs in their home states.

But Senator Kerry says even the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has written to him asking to be involved in framing legislation.

“Reducing carbon pollution is good business sense."

Elsewhere in Washington on Wednesday, the top U.S. diplomat on climate change has been blaming developing countries for doing what many say the U.S. is guilty of - hiding behind the wording of existing climate change treaties in order to do nothing.

Todd Stern, Special Envoy for Climate Change said:

“The sooner we get into the pattern of searching for pragmatic common ground, the better off we will be.”

All this as a European delegation met with the Obama administration warning of the risk of "total destruction" unless rich countries step up the fight against climate change.

It has taken years to get climate change legislation even considered here at the U.S. Congress and that’s because America is divided on the issue of climate change.

Most people want it but they’re afraid of driving up the cost of doing business in order to achieve it.

If there’s no consensus here, the chances of the U.S. signing up to an international agreement on climate change at next month's UN sponsored conference in Denmark have got to be slim.

John Terrett, Washington. November 4th 2009