US Fails to Meet UN Air Standards

On July 10, 2012 the US government backed the newly released annual State of the Climate Report made by hundreds of scientists in 48 countries; they’ve tested the earth’s natural greenhouse gases and found they haven’t risen so global warming and recent bad weather is the result of man made causes (carbon dioxide, methane and nitric-oxide increases). Glaciers and sea ice around the world continue to shrink (30 times faster than expected), temperatures on land and sea are rising, over the past 100 years oceans have risen 10 inches and they’re predicting they will rise 12 inches more by 2050 (less than 40 years). We’re not at the tipping point yet but if we don’t start making changes it will come sooner than expected. Because of global warming plants and animals are migrating away from their normal habitats, erratic weather (record breaking temperatures, floods and drought) has increased feed costs for animals as well as destroyed many crops (in January we heard this along with an increase in exports-up 11% last year there isn’t enough beef cattle to go around and the price of beef has gone up 24% in the last 5 years and is expected to jump another 8% this year) and the continued degradation of our air quality results in increased medical bills (lung disease and asthma).

Romney said in his August 30 speech “President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and to heal the planet; my promise is to help you and your family…” He also said he’d take full advantage of renewable energy. Yet on October 3 he over and over again slammed the President for his green energy investment. We continue to hear about the failure of Solyndra but to shed some light on it - basically it failed because solar panel installers bought from China and we didn’t have a tariff on their panels until after Solyndra went under. Republicans want you to believe that the green investments aren’t worth the risk.

The UN’s 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer identifies the greenhouse gases and other gases that are the basis for fighting climate change. Today, 191 countries have signed and ratified the protocol. The only remaining signatory not to have ratified the protocol is the US. Our failure to comply with the UN protocol is actually due to fossil-fuel industries lobbying Congress to block legislation that would impose federal standards for renewable energy and thus diminish their special status. The oil industry received $5.5 billion ($4 billion last year) in tax breaks and discounted royalty payments as a result of $200 million in lobbying and political contributions. The renewable energy grant program is to be terminated by the end of 2012 unless an extension is approved.

We need a President that believes in slowing down global warming and keeping jobs and food here in the US. We cannot not be a leader in this world and ignore this issue.