The WWF is playing a key role in trying to push through a climate legislation bill in America that could have worldwide implications depending on whether or not it is successfully brought to law.

Failures

With the world’s leading countries having failed to come to any significant consensus at last year’s Copenhagen summit, there is a danger that by the time agreements over action are finally reached, it will be too late.

Immediate Action

As one of the leading lobbyists for action on climate change, WWF realise the need for immediate action, and have boosted resources devoted to lobbying on climate change by more than 600 percent in the past year, spending $2.2 million from March 2009 through March of this year.

A vast amount of this has gone towards the US Climate Legislation bill that would provide assistance preserving forests, funds to spark demand for clean technologies in developing countries and money to help the most vulnerable countries adapt to climate-induced changes.

Setting a Precedent

The US has been targeted because as one of the world’s most powerful countries, legislation there would resonate around the world both directly through the resources they could begin deploying to help worldwide efforts, but other countries would be likely to follow the example set by the US if they are able to set a positive precedent.

But the US has also been chosen by the WWF for specific attention because it is one of the countries where climate change legislation faces the strongest opposition. This comes as a result of there being a large proportion of sceptics among the population, and that the resources could be better used within the US at this time of economic uncertainty.

“I don’t sense an appetite in Congress to use taxpayer dollars … to spend money in other countries to help them purchase new technologies,” said Adele Morris, policy director for climate and energy economics at the Brookings Institution. “I don’t detect a lot of enthusiasm in Congress to spend a lot of money even on adaptation.

“My sense is there’s not a lot of enthusiasm for transfers abroad of almost any kind,” Morris added. “That’s money leaving the U.S. Economy.”

Prioritisation

In summer 2009, WWF spent $1 million lobbying, trying to “create the conditions for the Senate to prioritise climate legislation,” said Lou Leonard, WWF’s director of international climate policy. And in the first quarter of 2010, WWF spent more on lobbying that any other environmental group.

WWF’s efforts yielded results in last year’s House-passed bill and a measure that passed the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, but their continued lobbying does not appear to have been enough to yield those significant results they believe are needed.

Setback

The latest Kerry-Lieberman plan unveiled last week was a setback. Although the bill includes some money for adaptation, helping vulnerable countries prepare for rising seas, stronger storms and weather catastrophes, the funding is far less than what was allocated in the House climate bill last year

In crafting the bill, Kerry knew that it “had to take a haircut, and that hurt many priorities that deserved greater investment,” the senator’s spokeswoman Whitney Smith said. “We stretched every dollar, and we did it with an eye toward getting 60 votes[the amount required for it to be passed into law].”

Deforestation

There is a section in the Kerry-Lieberman bill devoted to preventing deforestation but without money attached. The House climate bill allocates 5 percent of its free allowances for that purpose.

The big problem the WWF faces is that the legislation does not focus on bringing about a real change in attitudes or halting the activity that is driving climate change.

The legislation to prevent deforestation involves encouraging companies to buy greenhouse gas allowances rather than investing in forests. Known as offsetting, this merely attempts to mitigate the damage that companies do through deforestation rather than stopping it in the first place.

The money, as WWF sees it, would not be purely to protect forests but rather to launch programs that would help countries be ready to measure and monitor their forests so that they could qualify as an offset. They believe that if an offset policy is the only way deforestation can be addressed, then companies should be encouraged to invest in forest rather than merely buying the greenhouse gas allowances.

Renewables

There is a similar sense of a lack of direct action in terms of renewable energy, with penalties and a cap-and-trade system favoured for reigning in businesses and industry rather than a refocussing towards renewable energy in the US.

Instead, the intention would be to fund developing countries to help them build systems of renewable energy that the US would then import.

Hard Sell

WWF understand that a significant climate change bill will be a hard sell to America, but believe that continued efforts can bring about a change in attitudes.

“There’s an education lift in explaining to people why this is good for American jobs and American people,” Leonard said. “There are good stories to tell about why this should be included even with a frame that this is about the American consumer and the American economy.”

It is clear that there is still a long way to go before America is ready to adopt a world-changing policy on climate change, but with WWF’s help, the current bill could go a long way to forcing the hand of many of the world’s top carbon emitters and provide some impetus to the efforts to stop climate change.

If you want to help WWF to stop climate change, then you can join them today.