Environment Arizona applauded Representative
Henry Waxman (D-CA), the chair of the House Oversight
Committee and a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and a bipartisan group
of 128 members for introducing strong, comprehensive 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.
“We
commend members of Congress for introducing strong, science-based legislation
to fight global warming. Global warming
poses an enormous threat to our future, but we have many solutions at our
finger tips to reduce global warming pollution and at the same time make our
country stronger,” said Erik Magnuson, program associate for Environment Arizona.
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% reduction from today’s levels)
and to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.
These are the science-based reductions needed to protect future
generations. To achieve these emission
reductions, the bill calls for a greater reliance on clean, renewable energy
and improved energy efficiency and provides large emitters flexibility through
a “cap-and-trade” program.
“Energy
efficiency and renewable energy are common sense solutions, and the Safe
Climate Act would put these solutions to use.
In addition to cutting global warming pollution, these clean
technologies will reduce our dependence on oil and other dirty fossil fuels,” said Magnuson.
