BushCo Trumps G8
Well, looks like the steadfast resolve (obstinance) of BushCo's steering (bullying) of the G8 leadership has produced nothing of substance regarding GW/CC (global warming/climate change); via the London Guardian

George Bush emerged from the Gleneagles summit yesterday once again the victor on climate change, appearing to compromise but in reality giving no ground. The US administration repeated in Scotland the tactics it has used at every conference where global warming has been an issue since Johannesburg in 2002. It makes minor, vague concessions, other countries claim a breakthrough, but nothing much changes. Mr Bush, alone of the G8 leaders, refuses to accept the consensus of the scientific community, including that in the US, that climate change is a man-made phenomenon and there is an urgent need to cut carbon emissions. The US is the only G8 country to refuse to sign up to the 1997 Kyoto treaty, which sets targets for curbing emissions. The section on climate change in the Gleneagles communique published yesterday is not fundamentally different from that contained in G8 communiques since 1990, with lots of expressions of concern, but stopping short of proposed action: no targets and no timetable. [...] There is a reference to the K word but it is not one that ties down the US. It is just a statement of the existing position. "Those of us who have ratified the Kyoto protocol welcome its entry into force and will work to make it a success." In other words, the seven members of the G8 who signed it will continue to work within its framework, while Mr Bush continues to ignore it.

Gristmill has some of that namby pamby language:

... raise awareness of climate change and our other multiple challenges, and the means of dealing with them ... work with developing countries on building capacity to help them improve their resilience and integrate adaptation goals into sustainable development strategies ... make available the information which business and consumers need to make better use of energy and reduce emissions ...

So, without leadership from the federal political arena in the US, we're still in the arena where local government and corporations are willing to make changes. As Harry Potter's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Mad Eye Moody continually warned to his students in Goblet of Fire, "Constant vigilence!" Here's a Seattle-based story via Treehugger that points to a bit of hope in that regard:

Companies Pay Employees To Buy Cleaner Cars The Business & Technology section of the Seattle Times has an article about a few companies that encourage their employees to trade in their gas-guzzlers for more fuel efficient cars. Topics Entertainment, for example, offers $1000 to any of its employees that is willing to buy a car with a smaller engine than what is traded in, and $2000 if the employee trades in a high-powered V8 for a four cylinders or if he/she buys a hybrid. Another company that does something similar is Hyperion, a Californian software company. They committed a million dollars per year toward the purchases of hybrids, offering employees $5,000 each.