Unified Action – Global Warming

August 2005

The issue: There is little doubt that the planet is warming. This warming could have catastrophic consequences on human and other life. On the back of this sheet are facts which support both these contentions.

What we are asking: We want to help our elected representatives understand that

• global warming is not a political issue, but a problem that threatens all of us, and requires immediate bipartisan attention.
• A good first step would be to support the Climate Stewardship Act, which was introduced in the Senate by Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and John McCain (R-AZ) The companion bill in the House of Representatives was introduced by Representatives Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) and John Olver (D-MA)

The Climate Stewardship Act would force Congress to acknowledge that Global Warming is a problem. In addition, it would:

• require power plants and factories to reduce their emission to 2000 levels by 2010
• raise fuel efficiency for automobiles, which account for a third of the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions
• invest in energy-efficient technologies and renewable energies, and eliminate subsidies for the fossil fuel industry

People to be contacted

On this Action, it’s fine to contact our elected representatives by email, website input form, letter, or telephone. The contact information is as follows:

(please email “I did Global Warming UA” to unifiedaction@pva-nm.org when you have completed this action)

Global Warming Facts

• Over the last century the average temperature has climbed about 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.6 of a degree Celsius) around the world. (1)
• The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects that global temperatures will rise an additional 3 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit (1.6 to 5.5 degrees Celsius) by 2100. (1)
• The spring ice thaw in the Northern Hemisphere occurs 9 days earlier than it did 150 years ago, and the fall freeze now typically starts 10 days later. (1)
• The 1990s was the warmest decade since the mid-1800s, when record-keeping started. The hottest years recorded: 1998, 2002, 2003, 2001, and 1997. (1)
• Rising temperatures have a dramatic impact on Arctic ice, which serves as a kind of "air conditioner" at the top of the world. Since 1978 Arctic sea ice area has shrunk by some 9 percent per decade, and thinned as well. (1)
• according to a National Academy of Sciences released a report, prepared at the request of President Bush, "greenhouse gases are accumulating in the Earth's atmosphere as a result of human activities....(2)
• according to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change "most of the observed warming over the last 50 years is likely to have been due to the [human-induced] increase in greenhouse gas concentrations" (3)
• among the many serious impact of global warming (4) are:
  1. a rising sea level (4-36 inches) and consequent flooding
  2. rising temperatures and increased acidification of the oceans, severely affecting coral, plankton, and the entire oceanic ecosystem
  3. increasing severity of weather (hurricane intensity in US up 50% in last 30 years)
  4. destabilization of local climates
  5. reduced ozone layer
  6. radical effects on world ecosystems
  7. adverse effects on agriculture
  8. increase in the spread of infectious disease (expanded zone for malaria, etc.)
  9. higher temperatures,demanding increased energy usage for cooling

References:

(1) Global Warming Fast Facts, Brian Handwerk, National Geographic News, 12/6/04 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1206_041206_global_warming.html

(2) Climate Change Science: An Analysis of Some Key Questions, National Academy of Science, (Washington, D.C., June 7, 2001).

(3) IPCC Report: Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis, eds. J. T. Houghton, Y. Ding, D. J. Griggs, M. Noguer, P. van der Linden, X. Dai, K. Maskell, and C. Johnson http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/wg2/index.htm

(4) Summary from Wikopedia, the Free Encyclopedia, where specific references can be found. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming#Effects