"Reasons To Act (besides snowboarding) Irrespective Of Concern For (Our) Atmosphere"

More environmental wisdom from our friend Bill Brown in Taos, New Mexico at www.nmglobalwarming.org

"Greetings, All -- Former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair offers a commentary on impending legislation on climate change to be debaed beginning next week in the U.S. Congress.

Blair makes two hugely important points:

Vast and growing global economic, social and political problems with continued use of obsolescent, inefficient, globally polluting fossil fuels provides our global community abundant "...reasons to act irrespective of concern for the atmosphere."

"There will be no consequential action on climate change unless there is a global deal..." and such a deal is dependent upon (and entirely possible) with USA leadership in technological and policy innovation.

-- Bill Brown

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

Washington Post

Leading On Climate Change

How Action in Congress Can Move the World

By Tony Blair
Thursday, May 29, 2008; A19

The climate change bill that senators are to begin debating next week is a hugely important signal of intent on behalf of U.S. legislators. Yes, negotiations could still alter the legislation. But the bill's core proposition is correct: Unless the United States radically reduces its greenhouse gas emissions, along with other major emitters, the damage to the climate will be irreversible.

Radical reduction is unlikely to happen through voluntary action alone. Measures in the bill, through a mandatory cap-and-trade scheme, would reduce emissions 70 percent from 2005 levels by 2050. These cuts would be based on a carbon market incentive system that moves with the grain of action around the globe.

Over the past few years, the debate on climate change has shifted profoundly. The scientific consensus that human activity is causing global warming has become overwhelming. The effect of unabated climate change is shocking and, as was shown by the report of Sir Nicholas Stern -- the first authoritative study of the economics of climate change, commissioned by the British government in 2006 -- it is far riskier economically to ignore climate change than to act to abate it.

New environmental technologies, in fact, already drive a multibillion-dollar industry. Last year, an estimated $148 billion was invested in clean-energy technologies, companies and projects, a 60 percent increase from 2006.

Round the planet, people are developing exciting technologies, changing their behavior and agitating for action so that responsibility on the environment will come in a way that is consistent with necessary economic growth.

Meanwhile, fears over energy security create a synergy with the climate debate. With oil above $130 a barrel, there are reasons to act irrespective of concern for the atmosphere. Reducing carbon dependency also goes to the heart of our basic security needs for the future. I have long thought that energy policy is only a small way behind defense in terms of strategic importance to our way of life...."

Read entire article at link.
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from TouchArt.net and OneEarthBlog.blogspot.com for Earth Day 2008