Climate 411

This post is by Britt Lundgren, an agricultural policy specialist at Environmental Defense Fund.

Last month I posted about the gridlock over the 2008 Farm Bill, and discussed how different programs in the Farm Bill might impact global warming. The conference report (final version of the bill) has now been issued, and Congress is scheduled to vote on it today.

How did it turn out? The final bill includes important new investments in conservation, but doesn’t do enough to expand and improve conservation programs, or reform our antiquated system of farm subsidies.

Here are the details.

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This post is by Sheryl Canter, an online writer and editorial manager at Environmental Defense Fund.

We’ve created some 30-second spots on the importance of passing climate change legislation, and we’d like your feedback on them.

The "American Voices" videos, which will run on WashingtonPost.com, feature regular Americans talking about how climate change affects them personally:

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/UaDaLGcm9vk" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

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Today’s post is by Derek Walker, deputy director of the State Climate Campaign at Environmental Defense Fund.

Connecticut will soon become the fifth state, after California, New Jersey, Hawaii and Washington, to enact a mandatory cap on greenhouse gas emissions. The state’s Republican Governor, Jodi Rell, announced this week that she will sign the global warming bill passed by Connecticut’s House and Senate. Called Act Concerning Connecticut Global Warming Solutions (HB-5600), the bill has much in common with the California legislation, Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB-32) – also signed into law by a Republican governor.

We at EDF and our allies in Connecticut (Connecticut Fund for the Environment, Environment Northeast, Environment Connecticut, Clean Water Action, the Nature Conservancy and others) almost decided to delay our push for AB-32-style legislation until 2009. The state’s economic performance and job growth has been stagnant, and our initial assessment of the legislative appetite for a strong global warming bill was not encouraging. In spite of these choppy seas, we decided to set sail this year even if it became a two-year fight.

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This post is by Sheryl Canter, an online writer and editorial manager at Environmental Defense Fund.

Got a bike? Got strong thighs? Want to tell Washington what you think about climate change?

Sign up for Climate Ride 2008, a 5-day, 320-mile bike ride from New York City to Washington, D.C. on September 20-24. Expert speakers will educate riders along the way about solutions to climate change. The ride will conclude with a celebration near the steps of the Capitol building. The organizers call it “a fundraiser and climate conference on wheels.”

This post is by Lisa Moore, Ph.D., a scientist in the Climate and Air program at Environmental Defense Fund.

How do we plan for climate change? Unfortunately, many groups don’t even ask that question, much less begin to answer it.

I’m happy to report that there are exceptions. Yesterday, I testified before the New York City Council’s Infrastructure Task Force, which held a forum on how climate change and flooding will affect the city’s infrastructure. It was an interesting experience. I left feeling cautiously optimistic that the city really is trying to tackle the problem.

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