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One of the big stories last fall was the impending disappearance of sea ice at the North Pole. Some argue that this means that we have passed a point of no return on global warming.
This is the latest in a series of big problems
associated with global warming, but our federal government has yet to do anything about it.
So what should we do?
First, we need to face the fact that we need to do a great deal. The United States, which has produced almost 50 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases with only 6 percent of the world’s population, is sitting on its hands.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change estimates that we need to reduce CO2 emissions 60 to 80 percent in the next 50 years to stabilize global warming. This is a big change and we need to act now.
Second, if done right, remedies for climate
change can improve our quality of life and strengthen our economy.
Renewable energy, energy efficiency, biofuels, transit and smart growth are all things we should be doing anyway.
Yes, we will have to change some of our habits, but in the end, we will lead cleaner, healthier and more sustainable
lives.
Third, we need to act now. Federal inaction got you down? Work at the state level.
Colorado has a lot to lose from global warming—we also have a lot to gain from the solutions. We have great renewable
energy potential. We can save money on our heating bills through energy
efficiency. We can fight sprawl and global warming with smart growth.
Successes like Amendment 37, FasTracks
and our opposition to the misguided federal energy bill combat global warming.
This year we are going one step further. We will be pushing the state Legislature to develop a specific climate action plan to combat global warming. We may not win, but we will continue to enact reforms that create a cleaner, healthier Colorado.
Sincerely,
Matt Baker
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