You know how people say that meetings in person are always more effective than phone calls or emails? Well, here’s a great idea. Congress is in recess from March 14-31, and that means your Senators and Congressmen are coming home. Why not pay them a visit, and talk to them about the importance and benefits of action on climate change. 1Sky, an group with is working make sure our politicians are paying attention, has launched a “visit your representative and senator” campaign, which I think is brilliant.
And if you sign up here to help, they’ll help with talking points like the ones listed below:
- 5 million new jobs in a sustainable economy
- Secure our future by cutting climate emissions by 20% by 2020 and 80% by 2050
- Smarten our energy priorities by not building any more coal plants and investing in renewable energy technologies
See you there!
Although some may think San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is controversial, he is certainly a man of action. Earlier this week, Mayor Newsom ordered all city departments to purchase only 100 percent recycled paper, instead of the current requirement to use paper made from at least 30 percent recycled paper. This means San Francisco joins nine other cities and counties who also purchase only 100 percent recycled paper. Together, these 10 cities and counties will save an estimated 67,000 trees per year through the use of 100 percent recycled paper.
How is the city going to afford this? Mayor Newsom also ordered a 20 percent reduction in the amount of paper used to offset the higher cost of 100 percent recycled paper. No matter what you think about Gavin Newsom politically, you have to applaud his efforts and the action he is taking to help conserve our natural resources.
I ususally don’t agree with Congress, because they’re generally stupid. (look at the steroid hearings) But this time they’re on to something.
HR 5351 is a bill which funds a variety of renewable energy initiatives by taking away tax loopholes that were afforded to big oil companies. It just passed the House today, on a largely partisan vote, which means it’s on it’s way to the senate, and then onto the President, who would probably veto it. The Center for American Progress has a great article about it. Money quote:
One of these revenue-raising measures is eliminating the Internal Revenue Code section 199 deduction, which gives a subsidy for domestic oil and gas production. Its removal would cost Big Oil $1.4 billion annually over the next 10 years—a paltry sum considering that the big five oil companies made a combined profit of $123 billion in 2007 alone. ExxonMobil alone made a profit of over $77,000 per minute last year—more than the annual income of two-thirds of American families.
John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the three big candidates left in the presidential race, all support cap and trade as the primary means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Clinton and Obama call for 80% reductions from 1990 levels and McCain’s proposal is less. But what IS cap and trade you ask? Good question! As Joe over at Climate Progress points out, the Center for American Progress has a very nice, clear explanation of what it is. Take a look. It’ll only take you a minute.
Today’s New York Times has a very interesting article about how the green energy industry is taking root in California. Driven by strong demand in California, as well as by encouraging local governments and their innovative subsidies, the industry is booming. For instance, “eight of more than a dozen of the nation’s companies developing photovoltaic cells are based in California, and seven of those are in Silicon Valley.”
It strikes me that California is proving the idea that by embracing reality (and accepting the need to radically alter how we get our energy) we can transform the economy and and revitalize parts of the country that are falling on hard times. The reality is that these solar panel manufacturing plants could be in Michigan, or Indiana, instead of California. But they’re not, and I think it’s too bad.
