Change in Business Climate Needed

Don Brunell's Columbian column highlights an issue deserving much more attention: lawsuits filed over climate change.

Global warming is about to create an avalanche of lawsuits against the federal government and private industry.

He gives a number of frightening examples. Then this:

Congress is wading in as well. The 1,427-page energy bill passed by the House of Representatives gives enforcement powers over greenhouse gas emissions to "… citizens, states, Indian tribes and all levels of government."

Simply put, that means everybody can sue everybody.

His conclusion:

Ironically, all this litigation could end up harming the environment rather than helping it. Rather than face a future of endless litigation, companies that employ millions of Americans will simply move to countries with less stringent environmental regulations — and jobs will go with them.

If we are to have any chance of putting millions of Americans back to work, we need climate change all right. We need to change the business climate in this country to encourage, rather than discourage, employers to do business here.

Precisely right.