Just got back from the big event on the East Lawn of the Capitol to unveil the Senate's Clean Energy Jobs & American Power Act! Here's what Joe Mendelson, NWF's global warming policy director, had to say about the bill:
This legislation combines strong emission reduction goals with economic safeguards to protect all regions of the nation. It invests in protecting our natural resources from the impacts of global warming while protecting the integrity of the Clean Air Act.
But like a cornered animal, we can expect Big Oil to fight its hardest in a last stand to protect the status quo – and if this summer’s forged letters scandal is any indication, we can expect polluters to fight dirty. These polluters will be pouring every drop of their energy into protecting their massive profits by trying to stall progress on clean energy, climate action and green jobs.
I also caught up with two key NWFers on the lawn during the event -- Adam Kolton, NWF's senior director of Congressional & federal affairs, and Doug Inkley, our senior scienist:
Hibernating bears have been an overlooked phenomenon for too long. If we could isolate and reproduce their chemistry, it would be a huge leap for health and science. Fortunately, scientists have begun studying bears for the benefit of human health; however, due to climate change, our research time may be cut short.
Recently, all hibernating bears have either drastically shortened their hibernation period or neglected to hibernate at all. Although seemingly minor, this change in behavior leads to many problems. When bears come out of hibernation early, the reliable food supply they are expecting is nowhere to be found. This forces them to either make an unhealthy shift in diet, ravage premature plants and animals before the population can grow, or worst of all, die of starvation.
We have a perfect opportunity to stop this crisis before it happens.
On Thursday, October 1st, concerned Americans will be calling their U.S. Senators, urging them to dedicate funding to protect wildlife and natural resources in the The Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act--a bill designed to curb the impacts of climate change and invest in clean energy technologies.
Scientists have only just begun answering the mysteries surrounding hibernating bears. How do they convert toxic urea into protein, enabling them to not urinate for months? (If humans held it for that long we would die!) How can bears reduce their heart rate to 1/5 its normal rate during hibernation without causing brain or heart damage? (Humans would have heart failure.) How is it possible for bears to remain immobile for months and wake up good as new without muscle or bone loss? If a human is bedridden for the same amount of time, his bones will become brittle and he’d loose enough muscle mass to make walking extremely difficult. If these questions are answered, the medical resources and potential cures for human medical conditions are innumerable.
The bill, which is still being revised, would make it easier for businesses to compensate for their carbon pollution by expanding the available pool of domestic offsets by 40 percent compared with the House-passed climate bill authored by Reps. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.). It does not specify how pollution allowances will be allocated, which is sure to be a key battle as the bill moves forward. [...]
The Senate bill also will emphasize transportation efficiency, with provisions targeted at getting communities of 200,000 or more to plan for more public transport and bike paths. It also will preserve the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to regulate large sources of greenhouse gases, such as coal-fired power plants.
The bill is due to be released at an event on Capitol Hill at 11:30am. More details later today!
Ken Burns' 12-hour series on National Parks is turning a lot of attention towards America's treasured wilderness and natural wonders.
From Mount Rainier to the Everglades, our national parks exist because of our past commitment to conservation.
Now we're being called on again to make sure our national parks make it to the next generation.
This Thursday, Oct.1, Americans from coast to coast will be calling their U.S. senators to urge for a climate and clean energy bill that protects our parks, public lands and the many other wonders of the natural world that we cherish.
As climate change is already impacting our wildlife and landscapes, America's outdoor and nature enthusiasts are raising the voice for their protection.
Former deputy Interior Secretary Lynn Scarlett put it well:
As conservation islands, our parks were a triumph of foresight. But islands they no longer are. Their continued protection requires conservation partnerships — partnerships to address conservation challenges that transcend park borders.
And it's true. What you do in your life has an impact on our national parks, even the ones that are thousands of miles away from where you live.
So, tell your friends and family that this Thursday, October 1, is the day to speak up for our national parks and demand a cleaner and healthier natural world.
Let us know that you can make the call by leaving a comment below this post and telling us which cherished landscape or national park will be inspiring you to make the call.
This clip presents the dog and orangutan as best friends, but is it just me or is the relationship more like a family dog and a toddler who drops lots of food? When the orangutan is hugging him, the dog has a look in his eye like, "I'll happily put up with this because I'm sure to get a biscuit out of it."
Wildlife has a whole bunch of new friends. As the Senate considers climate legislation and the world readies itself for the global climate negotiations in Copenhagen a powerful and welcome group of investment funds and banks are speaking out: (Photo: Mindy Lubber of Ceres)
Hermela Brook of Zikkir Business News Forum reports:
[The group includes] the world’s leading investment funds, including those from HSBC, Henderson, Schroders, Société Générale and Scottish Widows, and pensions funds from California public employees to the BBC and Church of England. It was aimed at overcoming entrenched opposition within the US and elsewhere to climate change legislation, by showcasing the scale of investor support for climate change action and the potential for mobilisation of private capital.
“For anybody who suggests that regulating carbon or acting on climate change is impractical, here is appropriate contradiction,” said Mindy Lubber, the president of Ceres, the green investor network that helped organise the conference. However, she warned: “Investors are ready to put money into green tech, but they are not going to act until the government acts and makes clear that the right incentives are in the right place.”
The investors’ endorsement for action on climate change comes amid signs of a loss of momentum in the final stretch of negotiations towards a deal to tackle global warming in Copenhagen in December. The group warned that failure to act effectively would have disastrous consequences in human and economic terms. See full article.
Will the last one out of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce please shut off the lights?
Last week, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and New Mexico-based PNM Resources Inc. pulled out of the chanber, citing its climate obstruction. Today, the largest nuclear power operator in the United States joined them:
Exelon CEO John Rowe told a Chicago conference today sponsored by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy about his company's decision and urged industry officials and regulators to push for legislation that will put a price on carbon.
"Inaction on climate is not an option," Rowe said, according to excerpts provided by Exelon. "If Congress does not act, the EPA will, and the result will be more arbitrary, more expensive, and more uncertain for investors and the industry than a reasonable, market-based legislative solution."
And it's not just the Chamber suffering a mass exodus. So far this month, Duke Energy, Alcoa and Alstom have all pulled out of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, a leading obstructionist group.
From business leaders to sportsmen to the NAACP, an incredibly diverse coalition is coming together to call for action on clean energy & climate change. Will the U.S. Senate listen? We'll find out starting Wednesday.
Here's some bleak news for a Monday: Up to1/3 of amphibians today are at risk for extinction, according to the Global Amphibian Assessment and a recent post to Bright Green Blog.
Scientists think it has something to do with their highly permeable skin. The slightest changes in environment (like a 1 degree rise in temperature) can have drastic effects. These changes threaten the bullfrogs you might hear in your backyard and the exotic Amazon Milk frog that's native to Brazil.
But don't feel blue. You can do something. As a wildlife enthusiast, you're the best person to speak up for the frogs, and speak up for the strong climate and clean energy legislation needed to help them thrive.
This Thursday, Oct. 1, people from across the country will be calling their U.S. senators to ask for a wildlife friendly climate and clean energy bill.
As wildlife enthusiasts, we're seeing firsthand how global warming is already affecting the natural world we cherish. That's why, we're the people who need to speak up.
Here's how:
Tell your friends and family that Thursday, Oct. 1 is a big day to help make the difference.
As one famous frog once said, "It's not easy being green," but it is easy for you to make the call on Thursday, ask your friends and family to do the same, and speak up for strong climate and clean energy legislation to protect amphibians everywhere!
A report released on September 22 by the United Nations points to some disturbing findings about how much quicker global warming is coming on:
Roseanne Skirble of Voice of America reports:
"The UNEP report presents scientific evidence that has emerged since the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its last report in 2007. The "Climate Change Science Compendium" affirms that climate change is accelerating faster than previous estimates. UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner says evidence of human-generated warming is "unequivocal" and "just in time for us to appreciate how the magnitude of change, the scale of change and the pace of change are in fact occurring."
Findings from some 400 peer-reviewed studies from scientific journals and research institutes are woven into the report's chapters on earth systems, ecosystems, ice, oceans and climate management. The data show that global carbon emissions - which rose 1.1 percent from 1990 to 1999 - climbed 3.5 percent from 2000-2007.
Rapid glacier-melt, sea-level rise and ocean acidification will become complex problems, Steiner says, in a world whose population is expected to grow to nine billion people by 2050. "And herein lies another vital message in the report," he says. "When we talk about management, essentially we need to take the science that we now have at our disposal and think about how we are going to manage in response to these developments." See full article.
