Global Warming
"Our generation must be the one that says, 'we must halt global warming.' Our generation must be the one that says 'yes' to renewable fuels and ends forever our dependence on foreign oil. And our generation must be the one that builds the new energy economy. It won't be easy, but it is time to ask the American people to be patriotic about something other than war." – John Edwards
Global warming is no joke. We need to act now. If we don't change course soon, we could see dramatic climate changes, tens of millions of people displaced, and hundreds of millions of people starving.
Check out these facts:
- The ten hottest years on record have all occurred since 1990
- The last time the Earth was 4 or 5 degrees warmer—3 million years ago—there was no ice in the Artic and sea levels were 80 feet higher. [Hanson, 2/26/2007]
- Without changes, within decades climate change could cause hundreds of millions of people to suffer water shortages and tens of millions to be flooded out of their homes annually. By 2080, hundreds of millions could starve. [AP, 3/11/2007]
- The U.S. has 4% of the world's population but produces a quarter of its carbon dioxide emissions. It is one of only three developed nations that has refused to limits its greenhouse gas [Irish Times, 2/14/2007; Greenwire, 10/31/2006]
- Deaths from global warming will double in 25 years—to 300,000 people a year. [World Health Organization, 2003]
John Edwards has called on Americans to be patriotic about something other than war. He has laid out an aggressive agenda to halt global warming, including a new Green Corps service program within AmeriCorps that would provide young people with the opportunity to help in the fight against global warming by conducting volunteer energy audits, weatherizing homes, installing home solar panels, and training neighborhood groups to do the same.
Edwards has also called for America to embrace three goals for this generation:
- Halt Global Warming:
- Cap American greenhouse gas emissions by 2010, reduce them by 20 percent by 2020, and reduce them by 80 percent by 2050.
- Lead the world to a new global climate change treaty
- Make Our Own Commitments to Restore Our Moral Leadership
- Involve Developing Economies
- Create the New Energy Economy and 1 Million New Jobs:
- Create the New Energy Economy Fund
- Invest in clean renewable energy
- Make 25 percent of Our Energy Renewable
- Dedicate Resources to Renewable Energy
- Maximize the Potential of Cleaner, Safer Coal.
- Spark innovation, a new era in American industry, and life in family farms.
- Transform the Auto Industry to Lead the World in Cars of the Future
- Reduce Oil Imports by 7.5 Million Barrels a Day by 2025
- Help U.S. Automakers Modernize
- Produce 65 Billion Gallons of Ethanol a Year by 2025
- Raise Fuel Economy Standards
- Research the Next Generation of Small Scale Renewable Energy
- Meet the Demand for New Electricity Through Efficiency for The Next Decade, instead of Producing More Power:
- Make Efficiency Profitable for Utilities
- Invest in Weatherized Homes and More Efficient Buildings and Appliances
- Reduce the U.S. Government's Energy Use by 20 percent and Make the White House Carbon Neutral
- Create Millions of Local Sources of Renewable Energy
- Create GreenCorps
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