This post is by Elizabeth Thompson, legislative director.
Part of a series on the work of the Environmental Defense Action Fund to enact an effective climate law. You can help by writing to Congress.As we launch our campaign to demand a vote on a national global warming cap and trade bill this year, some may ask why now? And why cap and trade?
Both good questions. Here’s why.
The author of today’s post, Sheryl Canter, is an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.
Researchers have been expecting Arctic ice to melt and shrink, but not this fast! The National Snow and Ice Data Center, part of the University of Colorado at Boulder, reports that Arctic sea ice has shrunk to a 29-year low, significantly below the previous record low set in 2005.
The author of today’s post, Michael Oppenheimer, Ph.D., is the Albert G. Milbank Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs in the Woodrow Wilson School and the Department of Geosciences at Princeton University. He also serves as science advisor to Environmental Defense.
"In about a century, some of the places that make America what it is may be slowly erased" by rising sea levels, says an Associated Press news story from last week. In the map of Florida below, some of the most vulnerable areas – which include Cape Canaveral and a big chunk of Everglades National Park – are shown in red.
Source: University of Arizona’s Department of Geosciences.
It’s not just historic sites that are threatened, but people. Rising sea levels could displace millions in heavily populated coastal areas across the world.
Why are sea levels rising, and what do scientists project for the future?
The author of today’s post, Sheryl Canter, is an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.
Total greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks is a function of three factors: amount of driving, fuel economy, and carbon emissions per gallon of fuel (the "three-legged stool [PDF]"). The news media tend to focus on the latter two factors, but how much people drive has a huge impact.
A new report published by the Urban Land Institute says that greenhouse gas emissions cannot be reduced sufficiently by making vehicles more efficient, because growth in driving cancels out improved fuel economy. People also must drive less. And the report’s solution is not just better public transportation.
The author of today’s post, Keith Gaby, is Communications Director of the climate campaign at Environmental Defense.
Today the White House is hosting a meeting of 15 nations with some of the highest greenhouse gas emissions in the world. They have gathered together to discuss solutions to climate change. The President of Environmental Defense, Fred Krupp, is among a small number of outside speakers who will address the delegates. He decided to attend the conference because – with all those world leaders gathered in one place (not to mention Bush Administration officials) – it’s a chance to push for real action. The White House, which so far has opposed mandatory action on climate change, might not want to hear it, but Fred’s message will be simple and direct:
The author of today’s post, Mark MacLeod, is Director of Special Projects for the national climate campaign at Environmental Defense.
This has been Climate Week in New York and D.C., starting with the U.N. conference on Monday, then the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting Wednesday through Friday, and finally the White House Major Economies Meeting today and tomorrow.
This week’s focus on global warming has prompted a flurry of letters around Washington, D.C. urging President Bush to support mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions.
