| July 30, 2008 |  |
Massachusetts House Climate Bill Sets pace for Solving Problem of Global Warming
Legislation will drastically cut state's heat-trapping emissions over the next few decades.
Today the Massachusetts House of Representatives followed the Senate and passed a climate bill that sets the pace for solving the problem of global warming, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a national science group headquartered in Harvard Square.
The House version of the bill calls for a 10 to 25 percent cut in global warming emissions below 1990 levels by 2020 and an 80 percent reduction below 1990 levels by 2050.
"Massachusetts is showing that we're willing to lead, to take responsibility for our share of a problem that has major ramifications for our state and the world," said UCS President Kevin Knobloch. "Our state has the brainpower and infrastructure to help solve this challenge. And now, thanks to the governor, legislative leadership, and engaged citizens, we have the political will."
The bill's emissions reduction goals reflect what top U.S. scientists and economists have identified as necessary to avoid the worst consequences of global warming.
"Leading U.S. scientists and economists, including a number of Nobel Prize winners, recently released a letter imploring policymakers to require immediate and deep cuts in global warming emissions," said Peter Frumhoff, UCS's director of science and policy. "The bill's ambitious cuts are right on target."
Massachusetts has a vested interest in addressing climate change. A report released last year by the Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment (NECIA), a two-year collaboration between UCS and a team of more than 50 scientists and economists, analyzed how global warming will affect Massachusetts and the other eight Northeast states. The report concluded that if heat-trapping emissions are not significantly curtailed, the very character and economy of Massachusetts and the entire Northeast will be in jeopardy.
NECIA's peer-reviewed report, "Confronting Climate Change in the U.S. Northeast," describes how the region would change under two scenarios: one that assumes an increase in global warming emissions from a continued heavy reliance on fossil fuels, and another that assumes substantially lower emissions due to an increased reliance on clean energy sources.
"If emissions are not reduced, by late this century summers in Massachusetts could resemble summers today in South Carolina," said Frumhoff, lead author of the NECIA report. "Boston, for example, could average almost a month every summer with temperatures over 100 degrees. That would significantly threaten public health."
Massachusetts cannot reduce global warming alone, but as a world leader in technology, finance and innovation, it is well-positioned to help drive national and international progress in reducing emissions, said Knobloch. "We have the technology and know-how to cut emissions today. This measure will spur needed investment in advanced technologies that will move us into a clean energy future.
"Massachusetts and other states have demonstrated that they have the political will to embrace solutions to climate change at the local level," he added. "But we're still waiting for our federal lawmakers to take responsibility and seriously address the most critical threat we've ever faced in our lifetime."
The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with citizens across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.
