One more reason for Bush to be annoyed by Portland

(I'm so pleased. )

Bush told a Danish reporter this week that compliance with the Kyoto protocol on global warming would have "wrecked" the US economy. But as Kirstof writes in today's NYTimes, "the city of Portland is proving it flat wrong."

Newly released data show that Portland, America's environmental laboratory, has achieved stunning reductions in carbon emissions. It has reduced emissions below the levels of 1990, the benchmark for the Kyoto accord, while booming economically.

What's more, officials in Portland insist that the campaign to cut carbon emissions has entailed no significant economic price, and on the contrary has brought the city huge benefits: less tax money spent on energy, more convenient transportation, a greener city, and expertise in energy efficiency that is helping local businesses win contracts worldwide.

[ . . . ] In 1993, Portland became the first local government in the United States to adopt a strategy to deal with climate change. The latest data, released a few weeks ago, show the results: Greenhouse gas emissions last year in Multnomah County, which includes Portland, dropped below the level of 1990, and per capita emissions were down 13 percent.

This was achieved partly by a major increase in public transit, including two light rail lines and a streetcar system. The city has also built 750 miles of bicycle paths, and the number of people commuting by foot or on bicycle has increased 10 percent.

Kristof quotes Portland City Commissioner Eric Sten on why Portland gets it even if Bush doesn't:

[T]o the extent Portland has been successful, the things that we were doing that happened to reduce emissions were the things that made our city livable and hence desirable.

Yes, I know--local business won't always be so sanguine about those "no significant economic price" claims; others will roll their eyes about the streetcar; and certainly not everyone will take such a sunny long-range conclusion away from the experience as Kristof does:

That's where Portland's experience is so crucial. It confirms the suggestions of some economists that we can take initial steps against global warming without economic disruptions. Then in a decade or two, we can decide whether to proceed with other, costlier steps.

But the numbers are trending the right way, and it's one more case where Portlanders have shown Bush up. Gotta love that.