Global Climate Change: Three Policy Perspectives
"The 1992 U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change requires that
signatories, including the United States, establish policies for constraining future
emission levels of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide (CO2). The George
H. W. Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush Administrations each drafted action plans
in response to requirements of the convention. These plans have raised significant
controversy and debate...

This paper examines three starting points from which a U.S. response to the
convention is being framed. These starting points, or policy “lenses,” lead to
divergent perceptions of the issue with respect to uncertainty, urgency, costs, and
government roles. They also imply differing but overlapping processes and actions
for possible implementation, thus shaping recommendations of policy advocates
concerning the federal government’s role in reducing greenhouse gases..."