Principles for a National Global Warming Law
By Dave Massen, PDA Stop Global Warming Issue Organizing Team
July 2, 2008
In June, a GOP filibuster blocked debate on a comprehensive global warming bill in the U.S. Senate, but this is not stopping action in Congress.
H.R. 1590, the Safe Climate Act of 2007 (Henry Waxman, D-CA-30), is a strong, science-based bill that has been introduced in the House of Representatives and is endorsed by PDA.
Three House leaders on climate change are now circulating a
climate principles letter to gather signatures from their colleagues. It will help build understanding and consensus among House members about a law like H.R. 1590 and how it should be structured. It will finally be presented to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Speaker Pelosi supports the letter and has called energy independence-climate change the signature issue of her Speakership. A large number of signers on the letter will help her to press for the best possible global warming bill in the House.
The letter lays out four key goals for global warming legislation and identifies the key elements that are necessary for legislation to achieve them.
The goals are:
1. Reduce emissions to avoid dangerous global warming;
2. Transition America to a clean energy economy;
3. Recognize and minimize any economic impacts from global warming legislation; and
4. Aid communities and ecosystems vulnerable to harm from global warming.
The principles include the following elements: strong science-based targets for near-term and long-term emissions reductions; auctioning emissions allowances rather than giving them to polluting industries; investing auction revenues in clean energy technologies; returning auction revenues to consumers, workers, and communities to offset any economic impacts; preserving state authorities; protecting against trade disadvantages to U.S. industry; and dedicating a portion of auction revenues to help address harm from the degree of global warming that is now unavoidable.
The three House leaders are Henry Waxman, H.R. 1590 author; Edward Markey (D-MA-7), whom the Speaker appointed in 2007 to chair the
Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, another consensus-building effort; and Jay Inslee (D-WA-1), who earlier proposed a New Apollo Project calling for federal investment in a clean energy economy.
The principal reason for a national law is so that our country can do its part to help avoid the worst consequences of global warming, by reducing emissions in order to limit increases in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere and resulting increases in global average temperature. It has been estimated that industrialized nations must reduce emissions about 60 to 80 percent below today’s values by mid-century, to assist in limiting the carbon dioxide (CO2) level in the atmosphere to 450 to 500 parts per million (ppm).
The mechanism of
cap-and trade with auction of emission allowances has the potential to raise $250 billion per year to help achieve the goals in the letter. The transition to a “green economy” will provide a large and ongoing economic stimulus and will create hundreds of thousands of jobs which can’t be outsourced.
As individuals, we can, and should, take steps to reduce our carbon footprints. But as San Francisco State University’s
carbon calculator shows (as do others), it is virtually impossible for Americans to reduce personal emissions to a sustainable level that would not contribute to climate change (less than two tons per year, per capita). A transition to clean energy sources is essential for reaching sustainability.
Scientists say we have limited time to act; when we pass a national global warming law it’s vital to get it right. The principles in the letter to Speaker Pelosi embody the best thinking about how to do that.
Contact your member of Congress and ask them to sign the letter, today.
Join PDA's Stop Global Warming Issue Organizing Team (IOT), contact Laura@pdamerica.org.
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