Same Old McCain

John McCain gave a speech on global climate change in Portland this morning, about 90 miles up the road from my favorite coffee shop (transcript). He clearly has a good speech writer, and his choice of a wind turbine manufacturer as his venue was smart... kind of.

He stated near the opening of his speech, "In the Congress, we need to send the special interests on their way -- without their favors and subsidies. We need to draw on the best ideas of both parties, and on all the resources a free market can provide." He then goes on to promote cap and trade... only.

Now in fairness, cap and trade is probably an important component of CO2 emissions control going forward. It's due simply to the mendacity of our chimpster-in-chief that it's not already in place. And as McCain points out, cap and trade has made great strides in dealing with SO2 and acid rain (which results from a combination of SO2 and NOx).

But CO2 has some important differences: it's relatively stable and it has very little market value. Nitrogen oxides would "prefer" to break down to nitrogen gas and oxygen or oxide compounds. You can largely eliminate it with the use of appropriate catalysts. Sulfur dioxide can be captured fairly easily and oxidized and hydrated to sulfuric acid- a valuable industrial compound. On a tour some years ago of the Sudbury nickle\copper operation in Sudbury, Ontario (once the world's largest point source of SO2 ), we were told that INCO was actually running a profit on its removal of sulfate from flue gases. In other words getting rid of sulfur and nitrogen oxides is either easy, or even potentially profitable.

Not so with carbon dioxide. Of course plants use it (with massive input of light energy) to manufacture glucose, then assemble that to more complex carbohydrates. And many organisms use it in the form of carbonate to create shells and other hard parts. But these are the natural removal processes that are being swamped by the increasing anthropogenic carbon emissions. CO2 does not break down into simpler, more benign materials. And while it does have some commercial uses (dry ice for example), the quantities used are a drop in the ocean compared to quantities generated. Further, most uses of CO2 simply return the gas to the atmosphere afterwards. So it is neither easily broken down nor commercially valuable; it will not respond as easily to cap-and-trade as sulfur and nitrogen oxides.

Which is why McCain's speech today is really not worth much. Paraphrasing, we're going to use the best ideas out there: this one. He's already decided, from his deep technical knowledge, which is the best idea out there, from all of the ideas of all the interested groups and (surprise, surprise) it's the free market.

I don't know if others found it as amusing as I did to have a fellow who has not only stated, but repeatedly demonstrated, that economics is not a strength hold forth on how the genius of the free market and the impetus of the profit motive can turn America into a latter day Emerald City. Sure, I mean look at how well the profit motive has done at ensuring we all have minimal health care, and wholesome nutritious food, and reputable sources of information on which to base important decisions about our collective future. It seems perfectly reasonable, in the context of recent history, to assume that the free market will come up with the perfect response to concerns over the future health of our planet.

And delivering his speech at a wind turbine manufacturer? McCain voted against extending tax credits to wind and solar energy development- industries that have been boom and bust depending on whether customers could get support for these previously more expensive, but safe and sustainable, energy sources. (I say "previously" because it's my belief that with skyrocketing costs of petroleum, wind and solar will become much more competitive. That does not mean that they shouldn't be subsidized at moderate levels at a time when big oil is subsidized at obscene levels.) The workers I saw on the tube this morning looked pleased to be getting their moment of attention from a presidential candidate. I hope their moods are unspoiled by layoffs as wind and solar manufacturing slump from lack of support in weak economic times. According to CNN, a McCain spokesman stated that these tax breaks conflicted with another of the Senator's priorities, a reduction in government spending. So there you have it. Despite the platitudes about commitment, action, future of our nation yadda, yadda, yadda, McCain is committed to acting for improving the future of our nation only as long as it doesn't require doing anything.