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Climate Capsule: Week of June 9

(National Wildlife Federation)

Global Warming Fight Shifts To 2009 After Senate Bid Stalls

Despite an unsuccessful effort in the U.S. Senate to overcome the stalling and filibuster tactics of those opposed to global warming legislation, last week’s results are vital to plans for passing strong global warming legislation next year.

This historic vote on the strongest global warming bill ever acted on by Congress creates momentum needed to continue the fight. In all, 54 senators spoke up for the need to debate solutions to global warming, far surpassing the 38 votes in 2005 and 43 votes in 2003 for legislation that was significantly weaker than this year's Climate Security Act. Supporters included ten Senate converts who had not supported cap-and-trade legislation in prior votes in 2003 and 2005.

"The good news is that many senators who have previously buried their head in the sand and pretended global warming doesn't exist now acknowledge the problem is real,” said Larry Schweiger, president & CEO,  National Wildlife Federation. “The bad news is they are now throwing sand in the gears to prevent Congress from actually doing anything about it.

"How could any senator vote against advancing debate on global warming legislation? What were they thinking?” Schweiger said. “If we don't tackle climate change soon, it will tackle us. It's that simple. Climate change is threatening our national security, our economy and the natural resources all Americans depend on.”

Every senator who voted against a continued debate on the Climate Security Act voted against investing in a clean energy future that will energize our struggling economy, voted against safeguarding our families and voted against protecting and restoring America's natural resources.

The results are vital to our plans for passing strong global warming legislation next year. We now know which senators are paying attention to science and listening to the public, and which ones are instead listening to oil companies.

"Today's vote was just round one,” Schweiger added. “Round two will be when voters have their say in November.  Round three will happen in 2009 when we have a new president and a new Congress who will listen to the vast majority of Americans who want real action.”

National Wildlife Federation extends deep gratitude to Senators Boxer, Reid, Warner and Lieberman, and other bill champions, who have been tireless leaders to address the urgent problem of climate change.

Climate Action In The House

The House Natural Resources Committee is scheduled to vote this week on a Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans Subcommittee bill that would address climate change, energy use, and U.S. coastline waterfronts. 

The vote will be to reauthorize the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, often considered one of the top priorities for ocean advocates.  The session will also address bills on shark conservation and non-human primate protection.  The Coastal Zone Management Act has been amended eight times since its first passage in 1972.

The subcommittee passed the coastal zone bill, H.R. 5451, last week, although subcommittee members said they would like to strengthen the bill with more amendments.

The amended bill on the floor this week includes language that would revive parts of the energy and climate legislation the House passed last year, but not included in President Bush’s energy bill signed in December.

Quote:  "It may be a small step for mankind, but it's a giant step for the United States Senate."

-- Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT), optimistic about the future of climate action, after last week’s historic progress on national global warming legislation.

Millions Of U.S. Workers Stand To Gain From Green Industries

A new report details key industries essential to building a clean-energy economy in America and fighting global warming.

Workers at every skill level will be in high demand and enjoy greater job security in these industries, according to a report by a coalition of conservation and labor groups.

"Achieving a clean energy economy through green industries like wind and solar are just part of the story. This report is also about job security. Making homes and offices more energy efficient not only saves money and energy, but also represents growth opportunities for workers who build our communities and keep them running," said Dan Lashof, director of Natural Resource Defense Council’s Climate Center. "We’re talking about jobs at every skill level from construction to research, already available here at home." 

Monk Seal Declared Extinct Due To Human Causes

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Friday that the Caribbean monk seal is officially extinct, making it the only seal species to disappear due to human causes. 

"Humans left the Caribbean monk seal population unsustainable after overhunting them," Kyle Baker, a biologist for the National Marine Fisheries Service, said in a statement.  The seals were the only subtropical seal native to the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, and has not been seen for more than 50 years. 

The Caribbean monk seal was listed as endangered in 1967, though the last confirmed sighting was in 1952 at Seranilla Bank, between Jamaica and the Yucatan Peninsula.

"The fate of the Caribbean monk seal is a wake-up call for us to act quickly to protect other endangered monk seal populations. We must learn from our mistakes," Vicki Cornish of Ocean Conservancy echoed in a separate statement. “[Existing monk seal species] are important to the balance and health of the ocean — we can't afford to wait."

The Ocean Conservancy said some of the threats, especially erosion and debris, are tied to the El Nino weather pattern and rising sea levels, which in turn is tied to global warming.

"El Nino events, which cause storms similar to those expected to occur with increasing frequency as a result of climate change, drive marine debris closer to monk seal beaches and nearshore waters," the Ocean Conservancy added. "Seal pups play with trash, which can lead to entanglement and eventual death. Increased numbers of Hawaiian monk seals have been found entangled in marine debris after El Nino events."

$45 Trillion Needed To Combat Warming

The world needs to invest $45 trillion in energy in coming decades, build some 1,400 nuclear power plants and vastly expand wind power to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to an energy study released Friday.

The report by the Paris-based International Energy Agency envisions a "energy revolution" that would greatly reduce the world's dependence on fossil fuels while maintaining steady economic growth.

"Meeting this target of 50 percent cut in emissions represents a formidable challenge, and we would require immediate policy action and technological transition on an unprecedented scale," IEA Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka said. A United Nations-network of scientists concluded last year that emissions have to be cut by at least half by 2050 to avoid an increase in world temperatures of between 3.6 and 4.2 degrees above pre-18th century levels.