Aug. 23--Larry Schweiger delivered the proper emphasis in his talk to the Akron Roundtable last week. The president and chief executive of the National Wildlife Federation explained that global warming already has had an impact, changing the climate in significant ways. The challenge now involves the country and the international community acting quickly enough to avoid far more drastic consequences, even radical changes in our lives.

Hard to walk away from the Schwieger presentation, its words and slides, without grasping the powerful science behind the warnings about global warming, the buildup of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, magnifying the sun's heat, cooking the planet. He noted the accelerated melting in the Arctic, the thawing of the tundra, inviting the release of a heavy dose of methane, its heat-trapping potential much greater than carbon dioxide.

Schweiger cited the increased violence of storms. He pointed to the spreading forest fires (a year-round threat now in California). He tracked the migration of pine beetles threatening forests. He reminded that the industrial age has elevated the presence of greenhouse gases from roughly 280 parts per billion to 390 today, adding that scientists worry when the amount exceeds 350 parts.

Scientists warn about big trouble when the number reaches 450, which is where the planet is headed. That calls for a strategy aimed at avoiding an increase in the Earth's temperature of more than two degrees Celsius.

Congress has had all of this in mind as it has pursued legislation combating climate change, the House approving a worthy bill in June. The legislation has been the target of criticism, especially in these parts, critics warning about sharp price increases, along with harm to the economy. The main feature, a cap-and-trade mechanism, would place hard limits on greenhouse emissions, while allowing polluters to trade credits, the market helping to drive decisions about how to reach the targets.

Worth stressing is that Ohio and its neighbors, reliant on coal-burning power plants and heavy manufacturing, receive fair treatment in the bill. The bill maps a transition, providing a measure of relief from higher costs. Actually, a strong case can be made that the bill is too generous to the coal industry.

No question, elements are troubling. Nuclear power doesn't receive enough attention. Neither does the promising "integrated gasification combined cycle," a process for burning coal much more cleanly at power plants. What should be plain is this region's concerns have been heard, reflecting the emerging urgency about taking action.

More, as Larry Schweiger described so clearly at the Roundtable, there is economic opportunity for Ohio and other manufacturing states in the cap-and-trade legislation. Already, Ohioans have begun taking the lead in developing alternative energy sources, notably, the Xunlight Corp., a maker of solar panels in Toledo, and Green Energy Technologies, a Bath Township company pursuing urban wind power systems. The retooling of General Motors and Ford turns on the production of fuel-efficient vehicles. Thus, the automakers support the cap-and-trade approach. They see auto jobs as green jobs.

Schweiger invited Ohioans to ride the wave, ominous, yes, but also a path to a more prosperous future. Clean-energy costs will decline, as the price of the carbon-heavy variety rises. Ohio should seek aggressively to seize the moment of convergence, for its own sake and that of the planet.

-----

To see more of the Akron Beacon Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.ohio.com.

Copyright (c) 2009, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

Taiwan:3519, NYSE:GM,

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.