Just as the world seemed poised to combat global warming more aggressively, the economic slump and plunging prices of coal and oil are upending plans to wean businesses and consumers from fossil fuel.
From Italy to China, the threat to jobs, profits and government tax revenues posed by the financial crisis has cast doubt on commitments to cap emissions or phase out polluting factories.
Automakers, especially Detroit’s Big Three, face collapsing sales, threatening their plans to invest heavily in more fuel-efficient cars. And with gas prices now around $2 a gallon in the United States, struggling consumers may be less inclined than they once were to trade in their gas-guzzling models in any case.
Here is a quick comment on the first sentence of the third paragraph of the excerpt (Economic Slump May Limit Moves on Clean Energy): Isn't the causality wrong here? "Detroit's Big Three lack of planning to invest heavily in more fuel-efficient cars has led to collapsing sales."
