| February 23, 2009 |  |
Obama, Congress to Focus on Climate and Energy this Week
UCS Climate Expert Will Testify Before House Committee
WASHINGTON (February 23, 2009) — This week marks a milestone in the race to address global warming. President Obama's Tuesday evening speech to Congress likely will address climate and energy policy, and congressional committees in both houses of Congress will hold hearings on climate science and policy the following day.
"This is a critical time. We need members of Congress and the new president to commit to making deep and rapid reductions in global warming pollution," said Brenda Ekwurzel, a climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, who will testify at the House hearing.
"Given the urgent need to reduce emissions, we need President Obama to become the educator-in-chief on climate change," she continued. "We're feeling climate impacts more intensely than ever before, and the more we learn, the clearer it is that we have no time to waste."
On Wednesday, Ekwurzel and NASA climate scientist James Hansen will testify before the House Committee on Ways and Means. The hearing begins at 10:00 a.m. in Room 1120 at the Longworth House Office Building. At the same time, the chairman of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Rajendra Pachauri, will testify before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee at 10:00 a.m. in Room 406 at the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
Ekwurzel will tell the House committee that climate science findings since the IPCC's comprehensive review of climate science in 2007 underscore the need to act quickly. Sea level is rising faster than projected and the rate of sea level rise is expected to increase. The Arctic is losing summer sea ice more rapidly than expected. Arctic permafrost (mostly frozen plant material) is thawing, which risks releasing vast stores of carbon into the atmosphere. And oceans are becoming warmer and more acidic, which hinders their ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. (UCS has issued a factsheet summarizing the latest climate science.)
Ekwurzel will urge the lawmakers to commit the United States to reducing heat-trapping emissions at least 80 percent below current levels by 2050. She also will call for significant emissions reductions in the short-term because of the need to meet long-term goals and send a clear signal to industries that produce heat-trapping emissions that the shift to a clean energy economy must start as quickly as possible. Because scientists are continually deepening their understanding of climate change consequences, Ekwurzel also will encourage members of Congress to include a "rapid response" science review provision in any climate legislation to ensure that the government updates policies in light of the latest evidence.
Last year's climate debate in the Senate focused on the cost of implementing a cap-and-trade system to reduce heat-trapping emissions. Eric Pooley, a former Fortune magazine managing editor, recently published an essay in Slate magazine that said there is an emerging consensus among economists that effective policies designed to reduce heat-trapping emissions will ensure that economic growth continues. He also pointed out that the overall cost of reducing emissions will be far less than the cost of adapting to the worst consequences of climate change.
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.
