| November 1, 2007 |  |
Subcommittee Action on Lieberman-Warner Climate Bill “A Turning Point,” Science Group Says
Statement by Alden Meyer, Union of Concerned Scientists Director of Strategy and Policy
WASHINGTON (November 1, 2007) – This morning a Senate Environment and Public Works subcommittee reported out a bill introduced by Sens. Joseph Lieberman (ID-Conn.) and John Warner (R-Va.) that would establish a cap-and-trade system to reduce global warming pollution.
Below is a statement by Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy at UCS:
"Today's vote represents a turning point in the debate over global warming. As the world prepares to gather next month for the climate summit in Bali, Indonesia, this action demonstrates that the United States is moving beyond the Bush administration's failed, voluntary-only approach to addressing the global warming crisis.
"It's now important that the full Senate acts promptly on legislation to cut global warming pollution, because time is running out. Waiting to cut emissions will increase the severity and cost of global warming and increase the likelihood of triggering irreversible changes to the Earth's climate system. That's not the kind of legacy we should leave our children and grandchildren.
"Global warming is a man-made problem, and it can be solved with human ingenuity. We need to clean up the mess we created, and we need to start right now. A cap-and-trade program is the right solution. The bill approved today is a good start; we especially applaud the inclusion of natural gas in the list of sectors whose emissions are capped. We will work to further improve this legislation as it moves to the full committee and then to the Senate floor.
"The bill sets solid short-term goals, but the long-term emissions targets must be strengthened. According to a recent UCS study, even with developing and other industrialized countries taking strong action, the U.S. must cut emissions by at least 80 percent by mid-century if we are to prevent the worst, irreversible effects of global warming.
"We support the bill's requirement that the National Academy of Sciences conduct regular assessments of the effectiveness of the program in constraining man-made global warming pollution. But the Environmental Protection Agency should be given the authority to strengthen the emissions reduction requirements and other aspects of the program, based on those assessments.
"Additionally, the bill would initially give away a large share of emission allowances to polluters and wouldn't fully phase out these free allocations until 2036. This would weaken the bill's market-based incentives for reducing pollution and investing in clean technologies. The amount of free allowances to emitters should be reduced and phased out more quickly.
“We thank Sens. Lieberman and Warner for their leadership on this issue, and applaud the efforts of Sens. Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.) and Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) to make improvements to the bill. We will continue to work with them, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), and other senators as they strive to move a strong, bipartisan global warming bill out of committee and to the full Senate for debate and action.”
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.
