I have been unhappy with the coverage of global warming in the local media in the last couple of weeks. Ch. 6 WJAC, The Outdoor Times, and the Altoona Mirror have all run stories or editorials that either give the impression that there is still a debate regarding this issue or worse, ran editorials that get bogged down in petty disagreements. Let me be clear. The debate is over. Global warming is occurring. It is human caused. Out time to act is running out.
For the past two decades, thousands of scientists from all over the world have been studying this phenomenon from every imaginable angle. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has stated with 90% certainty that global warming is occurring, that it is human caused, and that we are running out of time to do something about it. I know world bodies are viewed with some skepticism, however, there are some things that should be known. 1) The IPCC is made up of over 2000 scientists. 2) It reports only science. No politics or policy recommendations are allowed in their reports. 3) All nations that are represented in the IPCC must approve the report. The US is part of the IPCC, and yes, we did approve this report. There can be no more distraction. The science is in. Global warming, if unchecked, will have catastrophic effects for everyone who calls this planet home. Our time to act is running out. James Hansen, the lead climate scientist from NASA, feels that we have 10 years at most to act. We must move now.
Global warming is not a Democratic or Republican issue. Yes, former Vice-President Al Gore has spent much time and energy bringing a sense of urgency to the public. However, in recent weeks, in separate venues, Republican national leaders, Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Ted Stevens (R-AK) and former Congressman Newt Gingrich (R-GA), have stated that global warming is real, it is human caused, and that now is the time to act. Governor Schwarzenegger, also a Republican, is echoing the scientific community's call for 80% cuts in CO2 emissions by the year 2050. This is a human issue, it is a moral issue, and it is a national security issue. We must get past partisan politics to solve this most serious of issues.
Right now, much of the world is moving to reduce their carbon output. We, in this country, are doing nothing on the federal level. At the state and corporate levels, there are signs of life. California and Vermont will regulate carbon emissions in coming years. Duke Energy, the nation's largest electric provider, Conoco, a large oil company, and some of the nation's largest institutional investors have all made statements asking for a cap and trade system for carbon. We must call on our political leaders to do more than this.
These are tense times, and during tense times, it is easy to point fingers and blame. Yes, everyone, including myself, emits too much carbon. But, we must resist these urges to play who-is-the-bigger-polluter because they distract from the real need, action. We should not be looking at what has been done in the past. Rather, we should be pulling together as a people, and we should be aggressively moving forward to reduce our carbon emissions. Global warming can be beaten, but we must act now.
This essay was originally published as a guest editorial in the Sunday, May 20, 2007, edition of the Altoona Mirror. It is also cross posted on MyDD.