Science-based global warming goal

After our successful effort to build support for state level global warming standards last summer, Environment New Jersey joined with our national federation, Environment America, to call for action on global warming in Congress. That effort gained momentum in 2007.

Global warming solutions moving

On Dec. 5, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee introduced the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2007. If it passes, the bill will be the first law limiting global warming in the United States, and it will reduce global warming emissions by as much as 18 percent by 2020.

“Congress recognized the need to start leading on this critical issue,” said Matt Elliott, Environment New Jersey’s global warming and clean energy advocate. “Still, the science and scope of the problem demand that we go further.”

The details matter

Though any global warming bill in Congress is historic, Environment New Jersey has steadfastly promoted details that get it right. Our research backs it up: Our reports, like “Blueprint for Action: Policy Options to Reduce New Jersey’s Contribution to Global Warming,” demonstrate that solving global warming will become much harder unless we take the right steps now.

We worked in the spring to add strengthening provisions to take those steps. During our annual citizen lobby day in March, attended by over 100 members from across the country, Environment New Jersey called on our congressional delegation to fix the global warming bill with the following changes:

• Requiring the U.S. to cut global warming pollution at least 80 percent by 2050—the minimum reductions necessary to avoid the worst effects of global warming.
• Because it’s still not perfectly clear how global warming will effect our world 20 years down the line, we want to make sure that the bill is flexible enough to adjust, and cut more global warming pollution if scientists discover more cuts are necessary.
• Prevent polluters from using global warming legislation to turn a profit. We advocate cap-and-trade programs that require polluters to pay for all polluter credits.

Representatives providing leadership

Environment New Jersey, along with other members of Environment America, recruited more than 20 co-sponsors to the Senate global warming bill and more than 140 co-sponsors to the House version, including Reps. Robert Andrews, Frank LoBiondo, Frank Pallone, Bill Pascrell, Steven Rothman, Donald Payne, and Albio Sires as well as Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, from New Jersey. The U.S. Senate is expected to take up the Lieberman-Warner global warming bill early this summer.

“Global warming is clearly the challenge of our generation,” said Doug O’Malley, Environment New Jersey’s field director. “The time has passed for Congress to talk about tackling global warming—we need strong legislative action.”

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