Democrats Are Fighting for U.S. Leadership on Global Warming

The year 2005 was the hottest year in more than a century, and the other four warmest years on record all occurred within the past decade.  Americans cannot afford to turn our backs on the evidence that global climate change is underway. 

In recent months, scientists have released important new studies on climate change, catching the public eye and adding to our knowledge of global warming.  For example, a study published on March 24 in Science indicates that global warming could lead to more rapid melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets than has previously been predicted, resulting in a significant increase in sea levels.  The study found that Greenland could be as warm in 2100 – during the lifetimes of babies born now – as it was 130,000 years ago, when melting ice raised sea levels by 10-13 feet. 

Other studies show the relationship between global warming and the shrinking of glaciers worldwide, intensification of hurricanes, changes in species’ growth and migration, and extinction of species. 
 
Calls for action are coming from many constituencies, not just environmentalists.  At an April 4 Senate hearing, representatives of several major energy companies and other corporations – Exelon Corp., Duke Energy, General Electric, PNM Resources, Sempra Energy, Shell Oil, and Wal-Mart – expressed support for mandatory restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions. 

And yet the Bush Administration has remained passive.  Many in the Bush Administration appear to continue to discount global warming.  The Administration has also argued strenuously against any mandatory restrictions on greenhouse gases. Instead, the Administration makes lip service support for “more research” – but then has sought over and over to muzzle the government’s climate scientists, including James Hansen, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

Democrats believe that it is time for America to take a positive leadership role in the international effort to reduce global warming and bring all parties together to develop sensible solutions for reducing the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Profiles in Cronyism and Corruption:  Philip Cooney

Philip Cooney, a senior White House aide with the Council on Environmental Quality, resigned following revelations that he had edited the government’s reports on climate change to downplay the connection between greenhouse gas emissions and global warming.  Before coming to the White House, Cooney was a lobbyist for the American Petroleum Institute.  Four days after resigning, Cooney went to work for ExxonMobil, one of the fiercest opponents of any action to address global warming.

“ Democrats are united in presenting a New Direction for America, one that will make our nation as strong as its people, one that brings opportunity, security, and prosperity to all Americans. ”

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi