IT IS said you can prove anything with statistics – even, if you believe the White House, that climate change can be tackled without making economic sacrifices. Last week US government statisticians announced that the country’s carbon dioxide emissions dropped in 2006, even as the economy grew. President Bush took the opportunity to announce that his “effective” and “science-based” policy was working well.
Yet Bush’s approach to combating climate change, which relies on the development of low-carbon technologies, had almost no effect on 2006 emissions. The bulk of the 1.3 per cent drop was due to mild weather, which reduced demand for heating and air conditioning. High…
