Environment
California applauded U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (CA) for introducing legislation
today to fight global warming. The Safe
Climate Act would limit global warming pollution to levels that current science
says are needed to prevent the worst effects of global warming. The bill was introduced by a bipartisan group
of more than 125 members led by Rep. Waxman, the chair of the House Oversight
Committee and a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. 30 of California’s
53 members of Congress have cosponsored the legislation.
“We
commend Rep. Waxman for introducing strong, science-based legislation to fight
global warming. Global warming is the
most important environmental challenge of our time, and future generations will
judge us by how we handle it,” said Environment California Federal Field
Organizer Moira Chapin.
The
world’s leading scientific institutions have long been united in recognizing
the grave threat posed by human-caused global warming, a fact underscored by
the recent report by the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, which called the evidence that global warming is occurring
“unequivocal.”
Now, many
scientists are also warning that time is running out to prevent the worst effects
of global warming. NASA’s chief
climatologist, Dr. James Hansen, has said that we must begin to reduce global
warming pollution within 10 years or risk climate change that would result in
“practically a different planet.”
The Safe
Climate Act, first introduced in June 2006, would reduce total U.S. global
warming emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 (a 15 percent reduction from today’s
levels) and to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. To achieve these emission reductions, the
bill calls for a greater reliance on clean, renewable energy and improved
energy efficiency.
“Energy
efficiency and renewable energy are common sense solutions to reduce global
warming pollution, but we have to put them to use. These technologies also will reduce our
dependence on oil and other dirty fossil fuels,” said Chapin.
Unfortunately,
there are still many members of California’s
delegation who have not yet cosponsored this bill. “We urge all of California’s congresspersons to cosponsor
this bill to protect future generations,” concluded Chapin.
