Highlight of the Week
Repower America with Green Education, Green Jobs, Green Schools

National Wildlife Federation has joined environmental and conservation organizations in recommending a green stimulus proposal that would repower America. The proposal would jumpstart our economy by creating as many as 3.6 million jobs, reducing pollution, protecting public health and safety, and restoring the environment.

“Clean energy investments create jobs, rebuild and refuel our economy, and reduce the pollution that is accelerating global warming,” said Larry Schweiger, President & CEO, National Wildlife Federation. “The investments in clean energy that forestall a climate meltdown will aid our recovery from the global financial meltdown.”

A key area for investment is in education and training, because educational services generate 23.1 jobs per $1 million in spending, nearly five times more jobs created than oil and natural gas sector spending.

“Investing in people through green education and training is essential to get our economy back on track,” said Kevin Coyle, Vice President of Education and Training, National Wildlife Federation. “That’s why the environmental community is urging a $9.2 billion investment for green schools and colleges, environmental education and green job training in America’s classrooms to create 289,000 jobs in the short-term and ensure long-term economic growth.”

On Thursday, January 8, 2009, experts will hold a telephone press conference to discuss recommendations for economic stimulus investments in education and training, one of the best investments for short-term job creation and sustained, across-the-board economic growth.

When:    Thursday, January 8, 2009 at 11a.m. - 12p.m. 

Dial-In: Call 1-800-791-2345; Pin 16755 #       

Contact: Aileo Weinmann, National Wildlife Federation, 202-797-6801, weinmanna@nwf.org
             
The agriculture sector presents another opportunity to create “clean-tech” jobs, especially in rural areas. The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 significantly expanded funding for USDA energy programs, including renewable energy systems, energy efficiency improvements, and the development of next generation feedstocks. Full funding of these programs and more could help to launch thousands of jobs.

“While frequently among the first programs to be cut in tough economic times, investments in USDA energy programs are critical to launching thousands of new jobs in our rural communities. Investing in sustainable next-generation biofuels, renewable energy, and energy efficiency will recharge America’s rural economy and restore the environment,” said Julie Sibbing, Director of Global Warming and Agriculture, National Wildlife Federation.

Climate Change May Increase Human Health Problems

Global warming could lead to a rise in human health problems due to exposure to harmful air pollutants, according to researchers in a study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

The reviewers looked at how a changing climate changes ground-level ozone, a known lung irritant that affects tissues and respiratory function.

According to the study, exposure to elevated levels of ozone is associated with increased hospital admissions for a range of respiratory issues including asthma, pneumonia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

"Projections suggest that climate change will increase concentrations of tropospheric ozone, at least in high-income countries, when precursor emissions are held constant, which would increase morbidity and mortality," review authors Kristie L. Ebi and Glenn McGregor wrote.

"The potential impact of climate change on ozone concentrations have not been projected for low-income countries, many of which currently have significantly higher ozone exposures.”

"As we reduce vehicle-based emissions of pollutants, urban concentrations of ozone will also be reduced, thereby positively protecting the health of humans for generations to come,” said the journal’s editor-in-chief Hugh A. Tilson.

The World Health Organization also asserts that climate and weather have powerful direct and indirect impacts on human life.

Quote:

“The fate of our economy and environment hinge on how quickly we move to repower America with clean energy solutions.”

—Larry Schweiger, President & CEO, National Wildlife Federation.

Economic Message of the Week
New Jersey Releases Implementation Strategies For Climate Action Plan

New Jersey has released a draft recommendation report to deal with global warming. The report provides scientific analyses about major sources of greenhouse gas emissions and outlines actions that are needed to meet emission limits established under the New Jersey Global Warming Response Act.

The state’s Department of Environmental Protection draft includes 40 recommendations to be shared with stakeholders who will examine the investment opportunities in the climate action plan. The recommendations could help create thousands of jobs and save energy costs in the long-term.

“This draft report outlines a New Jersey where employees commute without the frustration of traffic and the air pollution it causes, where energy is clean, and where waste is a thing of the past. Such ambitions are the future of our environment and our economy,” Governor Corzine said.

New Jersey is particularly vulnerable to global warming impacts, such as sea level rise and loss of wildlife and and recreation habitat, “with potentially devastating ecological, economic and public health impacts to New Jersey,” according to the report.

To learn more about global warming and New Jersey, see NWF’s Solutions to Global Warming state-specific fact sheet. Click here to read more about New Jersey’s new climate action plan draft.

Group Uses Polar Worms To Track Climate Change

A group of researchers affiliated with Colorado State University (CSU) is hunting for worms in Antarctica to help track our planet’s changing climate.

A research team of seven students led by a CSU scientist has gone to the Earth's southernmost continent for a 19th year to study roundworms.

Soil ecologist and environmental scientist Diana Wall says her annual studies of worms in Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys help measure climate change.

The student team includes scholars from Brigham Young University and the University of Waikato in New Zealand. They harvest the worms to track where they live, and their studies help reveal clues about soil quality and the impacts of global warming.

Dr. Wall's Antarctic researchers will spend two months harvesting worms for much of each day, which is facilitated by the continent's round-the-clock sunlight this time of year.

"We talk about losing endangered species above ground all the time," Dr. Wall told the Greeley Tribune. "We want to know if we lose soil species, does it matter?"
Readers can follow the annual worm hunts on one researcher's blog, The World of Nematodes.

Happening This Week
Congress is on recess this week.