The Blair-Schwarzenegger alliance on global warming

Prime Minister Blair has misread President Bush on global warming, expecting far too much -- something, anything -- from a White House that doesn't take global warming seriously, that doesn't even think there's a problem at all, but he has turned to the state that may just work with him on this pressing issue: California.

Yes, behold the Blair-Schwarzenegger alliance:

British Prime Minister Tony Blair and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced an agreement Monday to bypass the Bush administration and work together to explore ways of fighting global warming.

They agreed to collaborate on research into cleaner-burning fuels and technologies, and look into the possibility of setting up a system whereby polluters could buy and sell the right to emit greenhouse gases. The idea is to use market forces and market incentives to curb pollution.

Environmental groups may be right that this is "little more than a symbolic gesture". The market won't be able to deal with the problem of global warming all on its own. There needs to be a commitment from governments around the world to curb global warming, not just incentives for private interests to act in the public (and planetary) interest -- private interests can and must help, just as corporations can and must support sustainable development, but they generally aren't reliable defenders of any interests but their own immediate ones.

And yet I have no doubt that both Blair and Schwarzenegger are serious about this. California is a major polluter, but it's also environmentally progressive. And the U.K., like much of the rest of Europe, has long embraced environmentalism.

A symbolic gesture? It's better than nothing. And maybe -- just maybe -- symbols and gestures will lead to more substantive efforts to do something before it's too late.