Going green talk or action? Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman on what the U.S. needs to do about energy and the environment.

• Author: Friedman, Thomas L.
• Position: OPINION

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Surely the most glaring contrast in American political, life today is the number of words, speeches, and magazine covers devoted to "going green," "combating climate change," and gaining "energy security"--and the solutions being offered by our leaders to actually do any of these things.

You could drive a Hummer through the gap between our words and deeds. We are playing pretend, which is really troubling.

Here are the facts: Our worst enemies, like Iran, have been emboldened by all their oil money. The vast majority of scientists tell. us that global warming caused by burning fossil fuels is a real danger. And with 3 billion new consumers from India, Russia, and China joining the world economy, it is inevitable that manufacturing clean, green power systems, appliances, homes, and cars will be the next great global industry. It has to be, or we will not survive as a species.

And yet our President and our Congress still won't give us energy policies that would create the legal and economic framework to address these issues at the speed and scale required.

It is helpful that President Bush recently expressed a desire to work with other nations to limit greenhouse gases. But no one will, or should, take him seriously unless his government first leads by example.

It has to start with clear, long-term signals about energy prices: A carbon tax or gasoline tax, or a "cap and trade" system for carbon dioxide emissions, all of...