Sunday, February 14, 2010

Global Warming


Not just the stuff of science fiction, global warming may be a real-life horror for our grand children's generation, afflicting them with drought, flooding, and the regional wars which may arise out of a growing scarcity of resources. Leaders of our military are already becoming concerned about the implications. The snow storms that just blanketed America were right on cue, according to predictions of severely changing weather patterns made years ago by climatologists measuring the long-term rate of global warming.

So, what's being done about it?

At the Copenhagen summit, the United States promised $1 billion to protecting tropical rain forests over the next three years. Tropical deforestation causes about 15 percent of the world's global warming pollution, and with these forests disappearing at the rate of 1 acre per second, protecting them is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to slow down climate change. This is a major commitment of short-term funding, but it's an important investment in the future, and a big step toward re-establishing the United States as a leader in fighting global warming.

More needs to be done, though. Like working toward seriously reducing our country's dependence on oil and coal, and transitioning our economy toward cleaner and more renewable sources of power like wind and solar. And, pushing for a strong EPA to safeguard our country's environment, no matter how loudly polluting corporations and their allies in state governments protest.

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