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A Big Problem Needs A Big Solution
Why We Believe "The Three R's of a Global Warming Solution" will Effectively Address Global Warming
Introduction
In 1990 the most extensive scientific collaboration in history, the UN-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC, urged prompt cuts of 60-80% in global carbon dioxide emissions, the principal greenhouse gas. By 2003, not only had carbon emissions grown to record levels, the world's largest greenhouse gas producer, the United States, had withdrawn from the Kyoto Treaty process.
Compounding this problem, no national environmental group in the United States was advocating deep emissions cuts by a specific deadline. This vacuum led to the founding of the National Global Warming Coalition (renamed GlobalWarmingSolution.org) in November, 2003.
Scientists now report that global warming is occurring 50% faster than originally believed.
Weather extremes are on the increase, glaciers and polar ice packs are retreating, coral reefs are being decimated by warm seas, rising sea levels are threatening to devastate island nations, disease-carrying insects are dramatically expanding their ranges, agricultural yields are falling, and many other grave problems related to rising temperatures are increasing in frequency and intensity. Furthermore, voices in the insurance industry are warning of global financial catastrophe due to natural disasters aggravated by global warming if humanity doesn't sharply reduce it's use of fossil fuels.
Beyond the sheer magnitude of the global warming threat, the greatest obstacle to adequately addressing it is the policy of the United States. The U.S. produces 22% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than any other nation, yet has refused to commit to the miniscule 7% reductions called for in the Kyoto Treaty and has even withdrawn from the treaty process. If the U.S. does not dramatically change its policy very soon, nothing the world community does will be sufficient to prevent the global warming crisis from spinning out of control.
For fifteen years humanity has done little more than toss thimblefuls of water on the growing bonfire of global warming. The "fire" is now larger, more dangerous, and closer to being completely out of control. In short, we are out of time. Continuing along the "small, positive steps" path will ensure catastrophe. Only a bold, well-reasoned solution, clearly articulated, and vigorously advanced holds any hope for humanity to arrest it's descent into a climate-ravaged existence on the only home we have.
In our opinion, GlobalWarmingSolution.org has conceived of just such a solution. We believe that the actualization of our three policy goals, discussed below, would constitute the best response humanity could make to what is probably the greatest threat it has ever faced.
Ratify the Kyoto Protocol.
Global problems require global solutions.
Only a binding international treaty will ensure that we are individually and collectively meeting our responsibilities as we explicitly require of ourselves the behavior that will extricate us from the rapidly growing threat of global warming.
Seventy-five per cent of the atmospheric greenhouse gases produced by human activity were put there by wealthy countries. Yet the United States, producer of over 22% of global greenhouse gas emissions, has refused to ratify the only international treaty that attempts to address global warming, the Kyoto Protocol.
The nations of the world, including until recently the United States, have put a tremendous amount of time, money, and effort into producing and developing the Kyoto Protocol. Over 150 nations have ratified the treaty. The portion of global greenhouse gas emissions produced by the U.S. is so large that even if the rest of the world dramatically cut their own emissions the climate would continue to be destabilized. The U.S. must participate fully in this treaty at the earliest possible date.
Redirect the multi-billion dollar federal subsidies for fossil fuels and nuclear power to renewable energy.
The burning of coal, oil, and natural gas is the main cause of global warming. We need to make a dramatic shift to renewable sources of energy like sun, wind, biofuels, hydrogen, and other promising alternatives.
Activities that are subsidized tend to be encouraged. Why are we using public funds to encourage dirty fuel production from fossil fuels and nuclear power when the world needs a dramatic shift to renewable energy? By investing this money in clean energy sources that do not further destabilize the climate, we would accelerate the development of the renewable energy system we urgently need.
Furthermore, a report released in April, 2004 by researchers at University of California at Berkeley concluded that investing in renewable energy would create more American jobs than comparable investments in fossil fuels.
Reduce global greenhouse gas emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2020.
In 1990 the world's top climate scientists called for prompt reductions in global carbon dioxide emissions by 60-80%% below 1990 levels. Since fifteen years have passed and carbon emissions are at all-time highs, and because global warming has accelerated, humanity must implement an 80% reduction program immediately. The reason we need to cut so aggressively is that as the earth warms the oceans emit more CO2. As forests dry out, they burn more easily, releasing more CO2. As permafrost melts it absorbs more heat and releases more greenhouse gases. As polar ice melts it exposes water which absorbs more heat, melting existing ice more rapidly. All of these trends are underway and threaten to spin out of control. We are in a global environmental emergency and must start now to reduce emissions. Only specific percentage emissions cuts put on a strict timetable offer humanity any hope at this late date of arresting the rapidly growing threat of global warming.
This timetable is certainly ambitious, but clearly it will be cheaper than letting global warming get completely out of control. Every major industry in the United States was retooled in 12 months during World War II, demonstrating that anything is possible where the political will exists. Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute recently pointed out that utilizing the wind resources of just Texas, Kansas, and North Dakota could provide 100% of the energy needs of the entire United States. Humanity must take this hopeful path.
