To encourage making of policies in a bid to reduce the threat of global warming, a $100 million program is being created by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The climate change project of the foundation is being announced recently. But, coming amidst an increasing political push for legislation for curbing greenhouse gas emissions ‘ i.e. carbon dioxide ‘ from burning fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and gasoline, it seems to hit the interests right.
Till date the Congress has received several bills that would set mandatory restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions — the main greenhouse gas. Other clean-energy bills that are under consideration bid to increase renewable energy usages, promoting energy efficiency.
The presidential hopefuls for 2008 have proposals that would deal with climate change. Robert H. Socolow, a professor and co-director of the Carbon Mitigation Initiative at Princeton University said,
This a well-timed contribution of support for the enormous job we face in the next few years trying to figure out the most productive carbon policy for the United States.
The commitment of the Duke foundation is probably most significant for its focus, even while being sizable. According to Andrew J. Bowman, director of the new program, the foundation has decided on its climate change philanthropic approach after discussing it with dozens of scientists, policy analysts and other experts over the last 18 months.
Andrew said that the guiding principal is that ‘ a smart policy would be stimulating the deployment and adoption of clean-energy technologies.