Legislation to Stop Global Warming

[Guest Brendan Daly]

Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi announced today that she is co-sponsoring H.R. 5642, the Safe Climate Act of 2006, introduced by Congressman Henry Waxman of California and more than 30 House Democrats.

 

“For decades, Big Oil and other polluting industries have undermined and obstructed the voices of scientists on global warming, just as Big Tobacco did for so many years on the issue of cigarettes, spreading doubt in the minds of Americans. The Bush Administration and the Republican leadership in Congress are willing partners in this dance of lies, muzzling government scientists or attacking their credibility when they refuse to remain silent.

 

“But the scientific evidence of global warming is overwhelming, and growing each day with the release of new studies. The Arctic ice is melting, and Greenland’s massive icecap is liquefying with unexpected speed. The oceans are warming, potentially generating stronger hurricanes, and becoming more acidic, threatening the building blocks of the marine food chain. The current heat waves across the United States and Europe, and the wildfires in the West, may be an unpleasant taste of what is to come.

 

“The Safe Climate Act will harness free market forces to ensure that our nation takes the steps necessary to prevent dangerous, irreversible warming of our planet. It sets targets to reduce global warming emissions, using a ‘cap-and-trade’ approach that allows the market to choose the most cost-effective means to do so. The bill also sets aside funding to assist consumers and workers with the transition and protect against harm caused by climate change.

 

“We already have many of the technology and techniques that we need to reduce global warming pollution, and American ingenuity will supply the rest. It is time to act.”

[Guest Scott McLarty]

Greens to G8 leaders: Global warming requires a Green strategy, not a 'Katrina' response; Green summit in Tucson follows G8 summit in St. Petersburg

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green leaders and candidates, preparing for the party's national meeting in Tucson, Arizona, July 27-30, called on the leaders of G8 nations to adopt far-reaching measures to curb global warming, in the wake of the G8 meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia.

 

Greens emphasized that Kyoto plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions must be adjusted in accord with scientists' recommendations of a 70% reduction.

 

"The choice is between a Green response to global warming and a 'Katrina' response, in which the Bush Administration's negligence and failure to heed basic science are repeated on a global scale," said Dave Berger, Green candidate for Minnesota State Auditor <http://www.daveberger.org>.

 

"The U.S., currently the world's largest energy consumer, must rejoin Kyoto immediately and take the lead on a 70% reduction of CO2 emissions," added Mr. Berger. "If not, President Bush will be remembered as one of the most murderously reckless heads of state in world history."

 

Greens support rapid transition to clean and secure alternative energy sources, energy conservation, and reduced reliance on cars, and praised Germany's goal of phasing out nuclear energy as well as fossil fuel dependence. The U.S., Russia, and France remain committed to nuclear energy, which Greens warn presents numerous environmental and security risks.

 

"In the middle of the 20th century, nations united to defeat the fascist menace. In the 21st century, we need a similar focused global campaign, with peaceful, not military strategies, to defeat climate change," said Ken Pentel, Green candidate for Governor of Minnesota <http://www.www.kenpentel.org>.

 

"The campaign must include a restructuring of local, national, and global economies, with investment and creation of new jobs in conservation and conversion to renewable solar and wind power, taxes on fossil fuel consumption, and bans on new drilling in the ANWR [Arctic National Wildlife Refuge] and other wilderness areas. We also need national health insurance and measures for public health and safety as we begin to experience the effects of warming, such as killer storms like Katrina and Rita."

 

Greens called the reluctance of most Republicans and Democrats to address global warming adequately, a result of bipartisan addiction to corporate campaign money, an indication that the emergence of the Green Party has become a historical imperative for the 21st century.

 

For more information about Green Party's 2006 national meeting, titled "El Futuro es Verde / The Future is Green," visit <http://www.gp.org/meeting2006>. For media credentialing, visit <http://www.gp.org/forms/media>.

 

For Green campaign listings, news, photos, and web sites, visit the Green Party's candidate spotlight page <http://www.gp.org/2006elections> and the Green elections database <http://www.greens.org/elections>, which lists all 2006 candidates.

 

MORE INFORMATION

 

Green Party of the United States

http://www.gp.org

1700 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404

Washington, DC 20009.

202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN

Fax 202-319-7193

[Guest Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton]

This week has brought record gas prices for New Yorkers and record earnings for the oil companies. Today's announcement makes it clearer than ever that we need a new direction in energy policy, one that puts us on a path to a clean energy future instead of lining the pockets of big oil executives. That is why I have introduced legislation to eliminate oil company tax breaks and use that money to create a Strategic Energy Fund that would speed development of biofuels, help people buy hybrid cars, and fund research into cutting-edge energy technologies. It is time for the Republican leadership to get serious about addressing our energy crisis and stop putting the interests of oil companies over the needs of families struggling with skyrocketing gas prices.