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Current Global Warming Legislation

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The 110th Congress has adjourned without producing any meaningful global warming legislation, but that doesn’t mean there were no victories this Congressional session. 152 House Representatives endorsed the Global Warming Statement of Principles letter championed by Reps. Waxman, Markey, and Inslee (download the PDF), which lays out the critical pieces of any effective plan to stop global warming.

As welcome as this support for effective global warming legislation was, the real work is only about to begin. Having 152 legislators signed on to the Global Warming Principles letter, the boldest declaration of intent to combat global warming we’ve seen in the House of Representatives, definitely bodes well for the 111th Congress. But we have to hold the signers to their commitments, and we have to continue to build support for tackling climate change. The new administration and the new Congress will have a lot to deal with when they take office. We have to ensure that stopping global warming is their top priority.

As Greenpeace showed with the new edition of the Energy [R]evolution report, we can solve global warming, the economic crisis, and our dependence on foreign sources of energy all at the same time. But we need strong leadership to get it done. You can rest assured that we’ll be pushing the new administration and the new Congress to provide that leadership.

While nothing was passed into law, the strongest climate bill in the House, the Safe Climate Act, garnered additional support with 155 cosponsors at the end of the legislative session.

We support: The Safe Climate Act (HR 1590)

Background
The Safe Climate Act of 2007 (HR 1590) sets targets and requires actions that will be necessary in order to avoid the most dangerous impacts of the warming of our planet. Science tells us that we face a grave risk of irreversible and devastating global warming if global temperatures increase more than 3.6°F (2°C). HR 1590 sets greenhouse gas emissions targets that aim to keep temperatures below this danger point. The bill also freezes the level of emissions in 2010 and then gradually reduces emissions levels each year through 2050.

HR 1590 achieves these targets through a flexible economy-wide cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas emissions, along with measures to advance technology and reduce emissions through renewable energy, energy efficiency, and cleaner cars.

Targets
The Safe Climate Act freezes U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at 2009 levels in 2010. Beginning in 2011, the bill would cut emissions by roughly 2% per year, reaching 1990 emissions levels by 2020. After 2020, it would cut emissions by roughly 5% per year. By 2050, emissions would be 80% lower than they were in 1990. These goals are comparable to emissions reduction goals adopted by many states and called for by leading American companies, small businesses, religious organizations, environmental advocates, and others.

National Academies Review
The Safe Climate Act directs the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council to review, every five years, our progress toward avoiding dangerous climate change. If the National Academies find that dangerous global warming is likely, they must identify the reductions needed and recommend additional national and international actions to achieve the reductions.

 
   
 
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