Is solving the climate crisis really a top priority for Washington State?

It's interesting how people sometimes use events to reinforce their worldview.

About a week ago, I was at the store, in line, and I overheard a woman ahead of me commenting about the recent onslaught of winter to the checker.

She talked about bringing Al Gore up here and showing him this weather, adding that it was ridiculous that President-elect Barack Obama and the "idiots that voted for him" were proposing the implementation of pollution penalties to discourage the burning of dirty fossil fuels.

By using the example of the record snowfall we've had, she reinforced her already existing view of the nonexistence of global warming, illustrating that she doesn't understand the concept of systemic causation nor the significance of more extreme weather in our region - which is known for its mild climate.

And apparently she hasn't seen any of the evidence that profoundly documents what the climate crisis is doing to our planet right now - or what will happen once we pass the tipping point. Preventing global warming is one of the most serious challenges humankind faces, as it affects all ecosystems - the entire biosphere.

The consequences of the climate crisis preclude human well-being, and anything that can be done will help, even if it doesn't seem to amount to much.

Every little bit helps.

Currently, the State of Washington isn't doing enough to prevent the onset of catastrophe. The Associated Press recently filed a report on Governor Gregoire's slackening response to the climate crisis:

Recognizing a tough budget situation, the state is planning to pursue a less-aggressive plan to curb climate change than many had hoped.

The centerpiece of the plan is a regional cap-and-trade system that would limit the amount of greenhouse gases that industrial polluters emit while allowing them to buy and trade credits for the amount they can produce.

But some of the ambitious recommendations put forth by a task force Gov. Christine Gregoire established last year likely won't be pursued when the Legislature convenes next month.

Yet, talking about budget limitations, reporter Phuong Le observes:

Gregoire is leaning toward giving away most of the pollution credits, rather than auctioning them off as environmentalists had hoped.

Why is Gregoire thinking of giving credits away when we have such a serious revenue shortfall? If we're going to be creating a credits system, the credits should be auctioned off, not given away.

That's money that could be invested by the state in the development of renewable energy. We can't solve the climate crisis unless we repower America.

The money from the auction could help stave off cuts to environmental protection efforts. Combined with other creative ideas, like repeal of unnecessary tax exemptions - it could help prevent deep cuts to critical public services.

Lawmakers need to consider the common wealth and the common good as the budget makes its way through the House and Senate. Opportunities to generate revenue shouldn't be ignored. Washington State will not be able to effectively escape this recession if government ends up being gutted just to save money.