FYI & action.
ISSUE: The US Senate is scheduled to vote on the Climate
Stewardship Act (S.139) at the end of the week. This piece
of legislation, co-sponsored by Senators John McCain (R-AZ)
and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), is likely to be the only vote
on a comprehensive effort to reduce heat-trapping gas
emissions during the current congressional session.
ACTION: Call, Fax, or Email your Senator
MAIN MESSAGE: As a signature of the 'State of Climate
Science: October 2003', I am aware of the scientific
consensus on climate change and the need for federal action
to reduce our emission of heat-trapping gases. Thus, I urge
you to support S.139, the Climate Stewardship Act.
DEADLINE: ASAP, but not later than end of the day on
Wednesday, 10/29/03.
******************************************
*** THE ISSUE ***
The Climate Stewardship Act (CSA), S -139, was introduced to
the Senate by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Joseph
Lieberman (D-CT) on January 9, 2003 and is expected to come
to the Senate floor for a vote this Thursday, October 30
(although, of course, these types of deadlines are always
subject to change).
This bi-partisan legislation sets a firm, enforceable limit
on emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and five other heat-
trapping gases from the electrical power, industrial, and
transportation sectors. In order to encourage the discovery
and use of lowest-cost ways to cut such emissions, the limit
applies to total emissions from major sources in all three
sectors together, rather than from individual companies
within them. The overall limits the bill sets are 2000
emission levels by 2010.
The bill is an example of "cap and trade" legislation
because it sets an overall limit, or "cap," on combined
pollution from a set of companies while allowing the
individual businesses within it to buy and sell emissions
reductions from each other.
This cap and trade approach to reducing heat-trapping gas
emissions is flexible and market-based, and stands in sharp
contrast to the Bush administration's climate plan, which is
a voluntary, business-as-usual approach that will result in
unabated emissions of carbon and other heat-trapping gas
emissions.
FOR MORE DETAILS SEE THE 1/7/03 SSI UPDATE.
< http://www.ucsusa.org/ssi/climate_change/page.cfm?pageID=1096 >
(When prompted for a username and password, enter "ssi" and
"aristotle," respectively; characters must be all lower-
case)
While it will be difficult for the CSA to prevail in this
vote, a good showing would accomplish several important
goals: First, it would strongly position the CSA for rapid
progress in the future. Second, it would forever eliminate
the widely touted but inaccurate notion that the Senate is
unanimously opposed to setting limits on heat-trapping gas
emissions. Finally, it would directly challenge the Bush
administration's "too little, too late" policy of waiting
until 2012, when this administration is out of office, to
consider moving beyond voluntary-only action on global
warming. In short, a strong showing for the CSA in the
upcoming vote will dramatically improve the climate debate
within the Congress.
*** THE ACTION ***
-- Call, Fax, or Email your Senator
You can find contact information for your Senators by going
to the following UCS web page: < http://www.ucsaction.org >.
Enter your zip code on the right side where it says "Find
Your Legislators."
Calls to all Senators can be placed via the Congressional
Switchboard, (202) 224-3121.
-- MAIN MESSAGE:
Support S. 139, the Climate Stewardship Act. As a
signature of the 'State of Climate Science: October 2003', I
am aware of the scientific consensus on climate change and
the need for federal action to reduce our emission of heat-
trapping gases.
-- TIMING: Please act now! Absolute deadline is end of the
day on 10/29/03, because the Senate is expected to vote on
S.139 on October 30th.
*** SUPPORTING MESSAGES ***
-- The scientific consensus around climate change is robust.
Recently, I joined with over 1,000 of my peers and signed
the 'State of Climate Science: October 2003.' This letter,
which has been delivered to your office, was crafted by
experts in the field and outlines the consensus on the
anthropogenic component to climate change. In doing so, the
letter reconfirms reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change and the National Research Council that the
consequences of climate change, which is driven in part by
emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide, will be both
disruptive and costly to the United States. (to review the
letter go to,
<
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_environment/global_warming/page.cfm?pageID=1
264 >)
-- Carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases from major
industrial sources are contributing to climate change, which
will bring with it serious changes to our way of life and
damage America's economy.
-- The Bush Administration's claims that mandatory emissions
reductions would be too costly fail to account for the
"costs of inaction" on global warming -- costs such as
rising sea levels, extreme weather, and loss of
biodiversity. They also ignore our responsibility to leave
our children and grandchildren with a healthy environment.
-- The Climate Stewardship Act's market-based approach would
harness American technological know-how to find the most
cost effective ways to cut our emissions of heat-trapping
gases. Off-the-shelf reductions already available include
producing more electricity from clean renewable sources,
limiting carbon pollution from dirty coal-fired power
plants, increasing the energy efficiency of our homes and
factories, and making cars go further on a gallon of gas. By
encouraging investment in these and other methods, the act
would also ensure that American technology remains
competitive as other countries move to reduce their own
emissions.
-- As the world's number one emitter of heat-trapping gases,
the United States should be a leader in the fight to curb
global warming instead of trailing behind the rest of the
world. Our voluntary emission reduction measures have
failed. In fact, US emissions are nearly 12 percent higher
now than they were in 1990.
-- Climate change is a serious problem, and the potential
impacts of a changing climate are likely to have serious
ramifications on the ecology and economy of [your state].
[Then use a local "hook." Put some specific information in
here about likely changes in sea-level rise, water
availability, changes in ecosystem services, potential
health threats, potential adjustments to agriculture or
ranching or forestry, etc.] We need a strong emissions
reduction plan to help slow global warming and thus prevent
the worst-case scenarios from coming true.
[For more information about specific regional impacts, check
out the ESA/UCS reports on California
http://www.ucsusa.org/climatechange/california.html , the
Gulf Coast states
<http://www.ucsusa.org/environment/gulf.htm >, and the Great
Lakes states
<http://www.ucsusa.org/greatlakes/ >; or go to <
http://www.climatehotmap.org > for summaries of the "Climate
Change Impacts on the United States: The Potential
Consequences of Climate Variability and Change"].
-- A Massachusetts Institute of Technology analysis of the
McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act has found that it
could be a cost effective measure to address global warming.
With an annual price of implementing the bill as little as
$40 per household per year, the study clear proves false
Bush administration claims that mandatory emissions
reductions would be too costly.
*** SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION ***
To read the bill go to the Library of Congress' Thomas site:
< http://thomas.loc.gov/ > (enter S 139 in the "Bill Number"
box)
or
< http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:s.00139: >
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