March 21 --
Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., has introduced legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that has won the endorsement of several environmental groups.
Waxman´s Safe Climate Act of 2007 adopts the most aggressive targets among climate change proposals under consideration in Congress.
"The Waxman bill is the standard by which other Congressional proposals should be judged," said Philip Clapp, president of the National Environmental Trust. "It sets the emissions reduction targets scientists are virtually unanimous in saying the U.S. and the world must meet to avoid the most devastating consequences of global warming."
Betsy Loyless, senior vice president of the National Audubon Society, called Waxman´s bill "the gold standard that will define the debate in Congress."
The Safe Climate Act sets targets arrived at by scientists to protect against temperatures increasing by more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, Waxman said. The legislation freezes the level of emissions in 2010, and gradually reduces them by 2 percent each year through 2020. It would then reduce emissions by another 5 percent annually through 2050.
"My legislation reflects what the science says we need to do to prevent dire changes to the climate system, and there is a growing consensus in the states and among American workers, industry leaders, small businesses, religious groups, and others that these levels are what we need to achieve," Waxman said.
The Safe Climate Act would achieve the targets through a flexible economywide cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas emissions, along with measures to advance technology and reduce emissions through renewable energy, energy efficiency and cleaner cars, Waxman said.
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