In an all-out effort to demonstrate the viability of voluntary solutions to global climate change, officials from the Bush administration are touring the country, coaxing promises from industry leaders to cut greenhouse gas emissions. If self-regulation fails to attract enough takers, staving off mandatory emissions restrictions will become increasingly difficult — a fact that many industry leaders see as sufficient incentive to participate in the president’s plan. Others, however, criticize what they call the “mandatory voluntary climate program,” saying it is coercive. Environmentalists, meanwhile, say the plan is far too narrow in scope to have any impact on climate change. The White House expects to reveal the list of participating industries early next month.
