Global Warming In the News

The state Legislature's Environment Committee thinks so and has raised House Bill 5600, The Connecticut Global Warming Solutions Act. The committee was scheduled to conduct a public hearing on the proposal Wednesday afternoon in Hartford.

According to the summary, which can be found at www.ct.gov, the proposed act would "create a schedule for the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to create a statewide program for such reduction, to create the Climate Change Impacts Subcommittee, to require certain facilities to report their greenhouse gas emissions, to require low-carbon fuel standards for all motor vehicle and home heating fuels sold in the state, to prohibit load-serving entities from entering into agreements that would exceed a certain carbon dioxide limit, to require state agencies to include an analysis of greenhouse gas emissions when conducting an environmental review of a new program, to require that the State Building Code be revised to reflect more stringent energy standards, to create a new class of certified energy inspectors, to require all new construction and major renovation to be certified by such inspectors and to eliminate the requirement that Office of Policy and Management submit a report regarding state carbon dioxide emissions."

That might sound rather ambitious especially in a current political climate that is focused on the economy but Environment Connecticut, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization advocating for clean air and water, believes that global warming is the No. 1 priority on the 2008 legislative agenda for the environment. "Now is the time to tackle global warming head-on," said Christopher Phelps, the organization's program director, in a press release earlier this month. "The science is clear: To avoid the worst effects of global warming, we have to start cutting pollution today and set ourselves on the path to an 80 percent cut by 2050. The Legislature can make sure Connecticut does its part in the fight to stop global warming by enacting mandatory global warming pollution limits this year."

The proposed legislation will get the state "back on track by requiring emissions statewide to be reduced by 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020," according to Environment Connecticut. Similar legislation recently was enacted in California, New Jersey and Hawaii. The organization believes that action by Connecticut and other states might "set the bar for federal global warming legislation in the future."

Environment Connecticut also points out that the effects of global warming and climate change already are being felt. "The state faces economic and ecological challenges from the decline of hardwood species, reduced agricultural productivity, shifting fisheries and coastal sea level rise. Rural areas reliant on tourism may be particularly hard hit by agricultural and tourism-related impacts, while larger cities face increased threats from high heat stress days, increased summertime smog, and associated incidences of asthma and respiratory conditions."

We can hardly disagree.

"Whether you're concerned about clean air, forests, trout streams or beaches, you've got to address climate change. It's going to affect all our communities and wildlife habitats, and devastate some of them," said David Sutherland, the director of government relations for The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut, one of the organizations supporting the proposed legislation.

Environment Connecticut and The Nature Conservancy are two of the nearly 40 groups that are part of the newly formed Stop Global Warming Connecticut campaign. Among the others are the Connecticut State Medical Society, American Lung Association, League of Women Voters of Connecticut, Beardsley Zoo and Sierra Club. A number of renewable and alternative energy agencies also have signed on.

The proposed legislation is an important step in the right direction to save and preserve the environment for future generations. We encourage residents to support the bill by contacting the Environment Committee at the Legislative Office Building, Room 3200, Hartford, CT 06106, or by telephone at (860) 240-0440.

State Sen. John McKinney, R-28, whose district covers Fairfield and a portion Weston, is the ranking member on the committee, and can be reached at John.McKinney@cga.ct.gov