Power Execs Foresee Carbon Emission Caps

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When Duke Energy Corp. CEO James E. Rogers considers global warming, he sees more than a costly quagmire for the U.S. power industry; he sees grand monuments. Notre Dame in Paris, St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Rogers has adopted what he calls "cathedral thinking," a view that tackling climate change is a chance for the industry to leave a proud environmental legacy for future generations.

This philosophy may not deliver results as quickly as environmentalists would like, or sit well with all his counterparts, but it does aptly describe an approach toward reducing greenhouse gases that a small but growing number of power executives are embracing.

"The science says we need to act," said Rogers. Of course, shifting political winds are an equally persuasive force in an industry that accounts for almost 40 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions.



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