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Old Global Warming News
========================================
NRDC's EARTH ACTION:
The Bulletin for Environmental Activists
March 30, 2005
========================================
In This Issue:
--Action Alerts--
Tell your representative to keep inadequately treated sewage out of our
waters
--Updates on Previous Alerts--
Virginia off-shore drilling
======================================================
You will also find these alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action Center, which includes
tools for taking action easily online, at
http://www.nrdc.org/action
(Please do not reply to this message; see the instructions below for how to
unsubscribe or contact NRDC with questions or comments.)
=============
Action Alerts
=============
Tell your representative to keep inadequately treated sewage out of our
waters
Millions of Americans get sick every year from contact with inadequately
treated sewage that ends up in water that we drink or swim in. Pathogens in
sewage-contaminated waters can cause gastrointestinal and respiratory
illnesses, dysentery and hepatitis. The consequences of contact with sewage-
infested waters are even greater for children, the elderly and those with
weakened immune systems.
The Clean Water Act requires that raw sewage be treated to remove dangerous
viruses, parasites and other pollutants before it is discharged into streams,
lakes and drinking water sources. But the Environmental Protection Agency is
poised to finalize a new policy that would allow sewage to be routinely
discharged without effective treatment whenever it rains. This policy would
increase the amount of bacteria, viruses and parasites discharged into
recreational waters and drinking water supplies, where they would make more
people sick. It also would increase beach closures, shellfish contamination and
fish kills.
A bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives that would block the
EPA from finalizing its proposed sewage dumping policy and instead compel the
agency to implement the existing Clean Water Act rules that require full sewage
treatment. The bill also would require that the public be notified whenever
inadequately treated sewage is discharged into our waters.
The more co-sponsors this legislation receives, the greater the pressure will
be on the EPA to abandon its policy. Ultimately, if enough representatives sign
on, House leadership will be forced to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.
== What to do ==
Send a message urging your representative to co-sponsor the Save our Waters
from Sewage Act (H.R. 1126).
== Contact information ==
You can email or fax your representative directly from NRDC's Earth Action
Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action/.
If you prefer to call your
representative, the Capitol switchboard number is 202-224-3121.
==========================
Updates on Previous Alerts
==========================
VIRGINIA OFF-SHORE DRILLING
Last week we asked those of you living in Virginia to urge Governor Warner to
veto a bill that would have directed the state to actively pursue an exemption
from the federal moratorium on offshore drilling. You sent more than 500
messages to the governor, and we're thrilled to report that yesterday Governor
Warner vetoed the bill. The governor's veto will avert what could have been
disastrous ecological and economic consequences, both directly for Virginia and
the east coast and as precedent for further offshore drilling throughout the
country. Thanks to everyone in Virginia who helped achieve this important
victory!
========================
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========================
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==========
About NRDC
==========
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit environmental organization
with more than one million members and online activists, and a staff of
scientists, attorneys and environmental experts. Our mission is to protect the
planet's wildlife and wild places and ensure a safe and healthy environment for
all living things.
For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of NRDC, please
contact us at:
Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
Email: nrdcaction@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org
Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org
For your information, your Earth Action subscription number is 2043481
(you do not need this information to unsubscribe).
===========
Natural Resources Defense Council's
LEGISLATIVE WATCH
March 24, 2005
==================================
This is a status report on congressional action on the environment. The
information in this bulletin is also available on our website at
http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/legwatch.asp (the web version links to the
text
of bills and congressional web pages). To take action on these and other
environmental issues, visit NRDC's Earth Action Center at
http://www.nrdc.org/action/.
(Please do not reply to this message. See the instructions below for how to
unsubscribe or contact NRDC with questions or comments.)
==================================
The House and Senate passed FY06 budget bills; the Senate version includes
language that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.
Congress is now on a two-week recess and will return to Washington the week of
4/3.
===
Budget/Appropriations
The House and Senate Budget committees sent their FY06 budgets to the full
chambers on 3/11. The House version (H.Con. Res. 95) does not include revenues
from oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. On 3/17, the House
passed its budget by a vote of 218-214 after defeating, 180-242, an amendment
offered by Rep. Obey (D-WI) to increase funding for domestic programs,
including an additional $370 million for the state loans program that funds
wastewater infrastructure projects, and $230 million for land aquisition. The
Senate passed its FY06 budget on 3/17 by a vote of 51-49. The Senate version
(S. Con. Res 18) includes language to open the Arctic Refuge to oil drilling.
Amendments to strip the language failed in both the Budget Committee and on the
Senate floor: Sen. Feingold's (D-WI) committee amendment was defeated by a
party line vote of 10-12 on 3/11, and Sen. Cantwell's (D-WA) amendment was
defeated, 49-51, on 3/16. House and Senate negotiators must now agree on final
budget numbers in conference committee, which may prove difficult as conferees
grapple with different funding levels for Medicaid, veterans' benefits and
other domestic programs (Congress was not able to reach agreement on the FY05
budget and passed appropriations bills without a final budget). If the two
chambers cannot agree on the FY06 budget, the Arctic Refuge drilling provision
will not go into effect.
On 3/15, the House passed a supplemental appropriations bill (H.R. 1268) to
fund the war in Iraq by a vote of 388-43. With a complicated parliamentary
maneuver, supporters of the REAL ID immigration bill (H.R. 418) were able to
attach the bill to the spending bill with no opportunity for amendment. The
REAL ID bill contains a provision giving the Secretary of Homeland Security
sweeping new authority to waive any federal or state law during the
construction of border barriers and roads without judicial review. The
provision would apply to the entire length of the borders between Mexico and
Canada, and possibly to any coastal infrastructure controlled by the Department
of Homeland Security. In addition to contract, criminal and labor safety laws,
border projects could be exempted from environmental review under the National
Environmental Policy Act or from provisions in the Clean Air Act, Clean Water
Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. The Senate will consider the supplemental
spending bill when it returns from recess.
A complete budget analysis is available at
http://www.nrdc.org/media/pressreleases/050209a.asp.
===
Air, Energy and Climate
On 3/9, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee rejected the
president's "Clear Skies" bill (S. 131) by a 9-9 tie vote. The bill would
weaken the Clean Air Act by allowing power plants to release more pollution,
and also fails to address controls on carbon dioxide. After the bill's defeat
in committee, Energy and Natural Resources chair Sen. Domenici (R-NM) predicted
that the bill would be offered as an amendment to energy legislation that the
Senate may consider this summer.
===
Nominees
On 3/17, by a 10-8 party line vote, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the
nomination of former Interior Solicitor William Myers to a seat on the Ninth
Circuit Court of Appeals, which hears federal appeals in nine western states.
Mr. Myers was once a lobbyist for the mining and grazing industries, and most
recently was the top lawyer for the Department of the Interior, responsible for
the management of federal lands. Mr. Myers resigned from this position amid
accusations of ethics violations surrounding numerous meetings with former
clients from industries that use public lands. He has sharply criticized
fundamental environmental protection laws, such as the Endangered Speces Act
and the Clean Water Act, and opposes programs that would protect federal lands
in their natural state, like designation of wilderness areas and roadless
areas. Environmentalists have joined a coalition of public interest groups in
opposing Mr. Myers' nomination. The committee vote clears the way for a floor
fight over the use of the filibuster to block judicial nominees. Senate
Democrats filibustered the Myers nomination in the 108th Congress and stated
that they will continue the filibuster this year. Senate Majority Leader Frist
(R-TN) has vowed to hold a vote in mid-April to change Senate rules to prevent
the filibuster of judicial nominees. This rule change has become known as
the "nuclear option," because Senate Democrats would in turn block all
legislative action (the majority of Senate business is conducted by unanimous
consent, meaning that only one senator would have to object to stop a bill).
===
Transportation
On 3/10 the House passed a $284 billion transportation bill (H.R. 3) that would
fund highway and transit programs for six years by a vote of 417-9. On 3/16 the
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted 17-1 to pass its
transportation bill on to the full Senate. The $284 billion Senate bill is less
than the $318 billion spending level the Senate approved in last year's
transportation bill but matches the House funding level. Senators are expected
to offer amendments to increase the funding level when the bill reaches the
Senate floor. A final transportation bill has been delayed for more than a year
as Congress and the White House negotiate an overall spending limit, with the
president promising to veto any bill that exceeds $284 billion. Both the House
and Senate versions of the bill contain anti-environment provisions that would
affect air quality planning and environmental review under the National
Environmental Policy Act.
For information on the environmental voting records of members of Congress, see
the League of Conservation Voters' National Environmental Scorecard at
http://www.lcv.org/scorecard/scorecardmain.cfm
========================
Subscription Information
========================
NRDC distributes a number of bulletins by email. To subscribe to any or all of
them, go to:
http://www.nrdcaction.org/join/subscribe.asp
If you already subscribe and want to change your subscriptions or update your
email address or other information, go to:
http://www.nrdcaction.org/profileeditor
==========
About NRDC
==========
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit environmental organization
with more than one million members and online activists, and a staff of
scientists, attorneys and environmental experts. Our mission is to protect the
planet's wildlife and wild places and ensure a safe and healthy environment for
all living things.
For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of NRDC,
please contact us at:
Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
Email: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org
Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org
===========
Hi Thomas,
By now, you have probably heard that the major automakers are suing California
over our state's new clean car bill, which would fight global warming by
reducing the carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles by 30 percent.
Numerous states and even Canada are considering following our lead. Here's your
chance to stand up for California. Tell the automakers that as a Californian,
you want clean air and clean cars,
not irresponsible lawsuits.
The environmental health consequences of greenhouse gas pollution are
substantial. The scientific community overwhelmingly agrees that global
warming pollution has already created more smog, increased asthma and infectious
disease rates, and reduced the number and size of our fresh water sources. And
vehicle emissions are a sizable part of the problem.
The automakers use "green" marketing campaigns and some have introduced hybrid
vehicles. But when it comes time to test their commitment to the environment,
it's business as usual. Instead of using existing technology and developing new
tools, they are falling back on a lawsuit to block real progress.
Please take one minute today to sign this petition and tell the automakers to
drop this lawsuit against the people of California:
http://www.care2.com/go/z/22369
Thank you!
- Rebecca,
Care2 and ThePetitionSite team
http://www.care2.com/go/z/rebecca
P.S. Learn more about this lawsuit here:
http://www.care2.com/go/z/21866
Thank you for signing up to receive Global Warming Alerts via ThePetitionSite
or Care2 website! Your email address has not been bought from other sources. If
you learned something interesting from this newsletter, please forward it to
your friends, family and colleagues.
To stop getting this newsletter:
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Care2.com, Inc. - 275 Shoreline Drive, Suite 150 - Redwood City, CA 94065
========================================
NRDC's EARTH ACTION:
The Bulletin for Environmental Activists
March 16, 2005
========================================
In This Issue:
--Updates on Previous Alerts--
1. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
2. Mercury pollution rule
3. "Clear Skies" bill
======================================================
==========================
Updates on Previous Alerts
==========================
1. ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Yesterday we sent an emergency alert asking you to urge your
senators to vote
to remove language from the budget resolution that would allow oil
drilling in
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. You swamped the Senate with
almost 30,000
messages in just a few hours, but we are heartbroken to have to
report that,
just a few hours ago, the effort to remove the Arctic drilling
provision failed
by a vote of 49-51.
The following is a statement by NRDC's legislative director Karen
Wayland: "Drilling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge won't make a
dent in gas
prices at the pump or break our dependence on Middle East oil. This
was really
a vote for Big Oil, not for the solid majority of Americans who
oppose turning
America's last great wilderness into a vast, polluted oil field.
President Bush
and his Senate allies resorted to a sneaky budget maneuver to get
their way.
Now, Congress is one step closer to trading away an irreplaceable
national
treasure for a few drops of oil that we wouldn't see for a decade or
more. If
the oil industry can drill in the Arctic Refuge, then no place, no
matter how
pristine, will be safe. But there is still have a lot of political
tundra to
cross before this fight is over. We'll keep battling them every step
of the
way."
Although this is a hugely discouraging loss for all of us, as Karen
notes, the
battle is far from over. We'll be in touch very soon to let you know
the next
time we need you to raise your voice in defense of this national
treasure
(thankfully, Congress is about to recess for the next two weeks, so
we all have
time to catch our breaths as we prepare for the next round). Thanks
to each and
every one of you for your continued help and support in this fight.
2. MERCURY POLLUTION RULE
Last spring you sent thousands of messages urging the Environmental
Protection
Agency to adopt a rule that would significantly reduce mercury
pollution from
coal-fired power plants. But on March 15th, the EPA issued a rule
that allows
power plants to continue spewing harmful amounts of mercury for more
than a
decade to come. Recognizing mercury's health risks, the EPA in 2000
decided to
require maximum achievable controls that could reduce mercury
pollution by 90
percent by 2008. The EPA's new rule overturns that determination,
and instead
allows power plants to emit more than seven times as much mercury,
for a decade
longer, than current law allows. NRDC is now evaluating the best
ways to battle
this terrible new rule in Congress, in the states and in the courts,
and we'll
be sure to let you know the next time we need you to weigh in on
this important
issue. In the meantime, thanks to all of you who contacted the EPA.
3. "CLEAR SKIES" BILL
Last month we asked those of you living in states represented by key
members of
the Senate Environment Committee to urge those senators to vote NO
on the Bush
administration's misleadingly named "Clear Skies" bill, which would
have
weakened Clean Air Act protections and postponed deadlines for
industrial
polluters to significantly reduce their toxic emissions. After
numerous delays,
the committee finally voted on the bill on March 9th, and we are
thrilled to
report that Sen. Chafee (R-RI) and Sen. Jeffords (I-VT) joined the
committee's
seven Democrats to reach a 9-9 tie. Although the tie vote means the
bill failed
to pass out of committee, Senate Majority Leader Frist (R-TN) could
use a
special procedure to bypass the committee and bring the bill
directly to the
Senate floor. We'll be sure to let you know if that happens, but in
the
meantime, thanks to all of you who helped persuade your senators to
defeat this
harmful legislation.
========================
Subscription Information
========================
NRDC distributes three bulletins by email: the CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST
NETWORK
ACTION ALERT, EARTH ACTION, and LEGISLATIVE WATCH. To subscribe to
any or all
of them, go to:
http://www.nrdcaction.org/join/subscribe.asp
If you already subscribe and want to change your subscriptions or
update your
email address or other information, go to:
http://www.nrdcaction.org/profileeditor
==========
About NRDC
==========
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit environmental
organization
with more than 550,000 members nationwide and a staff of scientists,
attorneys
and environmental experts. Our mission is to protect the planet's
wildlife and
wild places and ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living
things.
For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of NRDC,
please
contact us at:
Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
General email: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
Earth Action email:
nrdcaction@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org
Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org
===========
========================================
NRDC's EARTH ACTION:
The Bulletin for Environmental Activists
March 15, 2005
========================================
Urgent alert - Budget votes imminent!
Tell your senators to say No to Arctic drilling and Yes to clean water
Take action now at
http://www.nrdcaction.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=52586
======================================================
As early as today, the Senate will vote on its version of the budget resolution
for the coming fiscal year. The Senate's budget, similar to that proposed by
President Bush, would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling
and cut vital funding for water infrastructure.
Drilling the Arctic Refuge would result in a sprawling industrial complex of
drill sites spread throughout one and a half million acres of critical wildlife
habitat. What's more, drilling would not solve our energy problems. Any oil
from the Arctic Refuge would be but a drop in the bucket (far less oil than the
United States consumes in a single year), and even the oil companies admit that
none of the oil would reach the market for 10 years.
In addition, the Senate's budget would actually cut funding for clean water at
a time when our nation's water infrastructure is crumbling. When the Clean
Water Act was passed more than 30 years ago the federal government made a
commitment to clean up the nation's waters. Since then the government has cut
funding for clean water by 70 percent. According to the Environmental
Protection Agency, this level of funding is insufficient for communities to
meet their clean water needs. But instead of increasing these funds, the
president and the Senate propose cutting clean water spending by more than $350
million.
The Senate is debating the budget resolution right now and could vote on these
provisions as early as today.
== What to do ==
Send a message *right now* urging your senators to vote for budget amendments
to remove Arctic drilling and increase clean water funding.
== Contact information ==
You can email or fax your senators directly from NRDC's Earth Action Center at
http://www.nrdcaction.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=52586
If you prefer to call your senators, the Capitol switchboard number is 202-224-
3121.
Please also forward this message to your friends and co-workers, and urge them
to contact their senators as well.
Thank you!
==================================================
==========
About NRDC
==========
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit environmental organization
with more than 550,000 members nationwide and a staff of scientists, attorneys
and environmental experts. Our mission is to protect the planet's wildlife and
wild places and ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things.
For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of NRDC, please
contact us at:
Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
Email: nrdcaction@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org
Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org
===========
Natural Resources Defense Council's
LEGISLATIVE WATCH
March 10, 2005
==================================
This is a status report on congressional action on the environment.
The
information in this bulletin is also available on our website at
http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/legwatch.asp (the web version
links to the text
of bills and congressional web pages). To take action on these and
other
environmental issues, visit NRDC's Earth Action Center at
http://www.nrdc.org/action/.
(Please do not reply to this message. See the instructions below for
how to
unsubscribe or contact NRDC with questions or comments.)
==================================
Congress continues its work on the FY06 budget. President Bush
announced his
nominee for EPA administrator.
===
Budget/Appropriations
House and Senate Budget committees are expected to vote on the FY06
budget on
3/9 and 3/10, respectively, with floor votes the following week.
President
Bush's FY06 budget request would cut environmental programs by 10.4
percent,
from $31.3 billion to $28 billion. The EPA's budget would be cut
from $8
billion to $7.5 billion. The biggest reduction would be in the State
Revolving
Fund, a loan program for the construction of wastewater
infrastructure, such as
sewer systems and water pollution control plants. The president
proposed
reducing this fund by 25 percent, to $730 million, even though the
EPA
estimates that wastewater infrastructure needs over the next 20
years will
exceed $388 billion. The president's budget also contains language
that would
authorize drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Neither
Rep. Nussle
(R-IA), House Budget Committee chair, nor Sen. Gregg (R-NH), chair
of the
Senate Budget Committee, have indicated publicly whether they will
include the
Arctic drilling language in their versions of the budget bills.
A complete budget analysis is available at
http://www.nrdc.org/media/pressreleases/050209a.asp.
On 3/2, Sen. Cochran (R-MS), incoming Senate Appropriations
Committee chair,
reorganized the committee to parallel the changes approved in the
House in
February. The reorganization reduced the number of subcommittees --
and thus
appropriations bills -- from 13 to 10. The plan moves funding of the
EPA to the
Interior spending bill, and also consolidates Department of Energy
funding in
the Energy and Water spending bill.
===
Air, Energy and Climate
On 3/9, Sen. Inhofe (R-OK), chair of the Senate Environment and
Public Works
Committee, forced a vote on the president's "Clear Skies" bill (S.
131). The
vote was a 9-9 tie, with Sen. Chafee (R-RI) and Sen. Jeffords (I-VT)
voting
with all seven committee Democrats against the bill. Although the
tie vote
means the bill failed to pass out of committee, Senate Majority
Leader Frist (R-
TN) could use a special procedure to bypass the committee and bring
the bill
directly to the Senate floor. The bill would weaken the Clean Air
Act by
allowing power plants to release more pollution, and also fails to
address
controls on carbon dioxide.
===
Nominees
On 3/4, President Bush nominated Stephen Johnson to be Administrator
of the
Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Johnson, a career EPA employee,
has been
serving as Acting Administrator since former Administrator Mike
Leavitt left to
become Secretary of Health and Human Services. Mr. Johnson has spent
much of
his 24 years at the agency working on pesticides and toxics issues.
The Senate
has not yet set a date for his confirmation hearing.
===
Transportation
On 3/2, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
approved a $284
billion six-year transportation bill (H.R. 3) to fund highway and
transit
programs. H.R. 3 is largely the same bill passed by the House in the
108th
Congress that was held up over differences in funding levels between
the House
and Senate versions. This year's bill would reduce the ability of
states to
prevent additional air pollution from vehicles caused by new highway
construction. The bill also would limit public participation and
environmental
review of highway projects as required by the National Environmental
Policy
Act. The bill would preserve the parity in federal-to-state matching
funds for
highway and transit programs, a provision that environmentalists
hope will
survive the House and Senate conference process. The full House is
set to vote
on the bill on 3/9, but no firm date is set for Senate action.
For information on the environmental voting records of members of
Congress, see
the League of Conservation Voters' National Environmental Scorecard
at
http://www.lcv.org/scorecard/scorecardmain.cfm.
========================
Subscription Information
========================
NRDC distributes three bulletins by email: the CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST
NETWORK
ACTION ALERT, EARTH ACTION, and LEGISLATIVE WATCH. To subscribe to
any or all
of them, go to:
http://www.nrdcaction.org/join/subscribe.asp
If you already subscribe and want to change your subscriptions or
update your
email address or other information, go to:
http://www.nrdcaction.org/profileeditor
==========
About NRDC
==========
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit environmental
organization
with more than 550,000 members nationwide and a staff of scientists,
attorneys
and environmental experts. Our mission is to protect the planet's
wildlife and
wild places and ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living
things.
For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of NRDC,
please
contact us at:
Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
Email: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org
Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org
===========
March 2005
The streets of
Manhattan are littered with flower stands -- a terrible temptation for a
flower-lover like myself. On a cold winter's evening, in particular, the
prospect of bringing spring cheer home in a paper wrapper is almost
irresistible. I can't think of a better way to dispel the seasonal gloom.
 Imagine
my dismay, then, when I learned that flowers are typically grown with an arsenal
of chemicals, including some that may cause neurological problems, reproductive
problems, cancer and even genetic damage.
It wasn't the
danger to my own health that alarmed me. My passing and very occasional contact
with store-bought flowers wouldn't put me at serious risk, despite the fact that
residues are actually quite substantial. (A sample of roses tested by the
Environmental Working Group in 1997 found up to 50 times the residues allowed in
food.) Farm workers are another story. They're exposed to the pesticides for
hours every day -- and for what? I hated to think it was me.
While workers in the United States are to some extent protected by safety
regulations governing pesticide use, those in Latin America -- where 70 percent
of our flowers are grown -- have few safeguards. They often have to apply
dangerous chemicals without proper training or handle treated flowers without
protective gear. Or they may be expected to continue working in greenhouses
while spraying is going on. When they go home at the end of the day in
contaminated clothes, their children may be exposed. Or the children may
actually work on the farms and be exposed directly. (It's estimated that some 20
percent of flower farm workers in Ecuador are kids.) Some of the chemicals used
are so toxic, they're banned in the United States altogether.
The situation has
recently begun to improve in some places, due, among other things, to
international pressure, especially from Europe, but the change so far has been
slow. Meanwhile, studies conducted in Ecuador, Colombia and Costa Rica have
found symptoms in more than 50 percent of workers of chemical effects on the
nervous system, such as headaches, nausea, blurred vision and fatigue. One study
in Colombia found a higher level of miscarriages, premature births and
congenital deformities. A study in Mexico turned up evidence that genetic damage
might be taking place.
And what of the
impacts on the environment? Data is scarce. However, groundwater contamination
and polluted runoff are major concerns, as is overuse of water resources. One
highly toxic fumigant used in floriculture, methyl bromide, is an ozone depleter.
It's enough to
make you throw up your hands and vow to "buy American," but that wouldn't be a
fair response. The flower industry is important to a number of Latin American
economies, providing employment and, often, relatively good wages to people who
might otherwise find neither. In other words, the benefits are as real as the
risks.
Anyway, it's not
as if our own flower industry has forsworn chemicals. Domestic flowers are grown
with tons of the stuff, which gets into our air, water and soil and is absorbed
and ingested by wildlife. Worker safety might be better here than in Latin
America, but is not good enough.
As with food, the
way around the problem is to buy flowers grown organically. While organic
varieties still make up a small portion of the flower market, they are available
-- both from Latin American and domestic sources -- online, if not at your local
store.
To complicate
matters, I feel I have to mention the cost -- in energy use and pollution -- of
flying in flowers from faraway places, whether Latin America or the other side
of the United States. Obviously, locally grown organic flowers would be a much
better choice. However, these may not be an option for winter birthdays or
Valentine's Day if you live up north.
I say, fly the
things in for the special occasions. But if you want flowers year-round just to
brighten your home, try drying the ones you get in the warmer months. The colors
may not be as vivid, but they're awfully cheery all the same.
—Sheryl Eisenberg
========================================
NRDC's EARTH ACTION:
The Bulletin for Environmental Activists
March 3, 2005
========================================
In This Issue:
--Action Alerts--
1. Tell Congress to keep Arctic Refuge drilling out of the budget
2. Tell the EPA to get asthma-causing pollution out of our air
--Updates on Previous Alerts--
1. Environmental Law Exemptions
2. Global Mercury Pollution
======================================================
You will also find these alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action Center, which includes
tools for taking action easily online, at
http://www.nrdc.org/action/
(Please do not reply to this message; see the instructions below for how to
unsubscribe or contact NRDC with questions or comments.)
=============
Action Alerts
=============
1. Tell Congress to keep Arctic Refuge drilling out of the budget
In the coming weeks, oil drilling proponents in the House and Senate are
expected to attempt to include revenues from drilling in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge in the budget bill for the next fiscal year. Drilling
proponents know that the issue is too controversial to use the regular
legislative process to open the refuge to drilling. Instead they hope to attach
drilling legislation to the must-pass budget bill, which needs just a simple
majority to pass.
Drilling the Arctic Refuge would result in a sprawling industrial complex of
drilling sites spread throughout one and a half million acres of critical
wildlife habitat. The harm to habitat for polar bear, caribou and millions of
migratory birds would be permanent and irreparable. Hundreds of miles of
pipelines and roads, airstrips, power lines, pumping stations and housing for
workers would be needed, as well as tankers to transport the oil -- risking
further oil spills in critical habitat.
What's more, drilling the refuge would not solve our energy problems. Any oil
from the Arctic Refuge would be but a drop in the bucket (far less oil than the
United States consumes in a single year), and even the oil companies admit none
of the oil would reach the market for 10 years. The best ways to reduce U.S.
dependence on foreign oil are to promote oil savings through conservation and
efficiency (such as building more fuel-efficient cars), and to invest in
renewable forms of energy like wind and solar power.
The House and Senate are scheduled to vote on the budget legislation by mid-
March.
== What to do ==
Send a message urging your senators and representative to keep Arctic Refuge
drilling revenues out of the budget bill.
== Contact information ==
You can email or fax your senators and representative directly from NRDC's
Earth Action Center at
http://www.nrdc.org/action/. If you prefer to call, the
Capitol switchboard number is 202-224-3121.
2. Tell the EPA to get asthma-causing pollution out of our air
The Environmental Protection Agency is poised to make a critical decision that
will affect the quality of the air we breathe. In early April, the EPA Science
Advisory Board will review proposals to revise national air quality standards
for particulate matter (also known as soot). The EPA is proposing to tighten
the standard for the smallest, and most dangerous, type of sooty particles that
can penetrate deep into our lungs. These particles mostly come from diesel
engines, power plants and other industrial sources. Tightening this standard is
a great idea, but we are concerned that the EPA will not go far enough.
In hundreds of studies particulate matter -- even at levels below the current
national air quality standards -- has been linked to a long list of serious
human health effects, including reduced lung function, coughing, wheezing,
missed school days due to respiratory symptoms, increased use of asthma
medications, cardiac arrhythmias, strokes, emergency room visits, hospital
admissions, lung cancer and premature death. Infants and children are
especially sensitive, and people with asthma, the elderly and people with pre-
existing heart or lung disease are most at risk from inhaling this widespread
pollution. The current asthma epidemic among children makes it particularly
critical that the EPA takes serious action to control this form of pollution.
EPA scientists have recommended that the standards be strengthened, but the
current EPA proposal lists a range of possible standards, including some that
would be inadequate to protect public. The EPA is accepting public comments on
its proposal through March 31.
== What to do ==
Send a message, before the March 31 comment deadline, urging the EPA to ensure
that the recommendations in the draft proposal are strengthened, not weakened.
== Contact information ==
You can send an official comment directly from NRDC's Earth Action Center at
http://www.nrdc.org/action/. Or use
the contact information and sample letter
below to send your own message, and please include your own reasons why ridding
the air in your community of this harmful pollution is important to you.
Dr. Mary Ross, Project Officer
Attention Docket ID No. OAR-2001-0017
Environmental Protection Agency
Air and Radiation Docket Center, MC 6102T
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
Fax: 202-566-1741
Email:
a-and-r-Docket@epamail.epa.gov
== Sample letter ==
Subject: Strengthen air quality standards for particulate matter
Dear Dr. Ross,
I am writing to express my concern about particulate air pollution, which has
serious effects on human health. We are facing an asthma epidemic among
children in the United States, and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases
among adults are serious and widespread. Hundreds of scientific studies have
found links between particulate air pollution -- at levels people are breathing
today -- and respiratory symptoms, increased use of asthma medications, missed
school days from respiratory illness, emergency room visits and premature death.
The proposed fine particle standards in the EPA's draft staff paper are an
improvement over current standards, but need to be lowered further to protect
public health with an adequate margin of safety. In particular, it is not clear
that the current EPA proposal goes far enough to protect the health of
children, the elderly and people with heart and lung disease. The EPA's
proposed coarse particle standard is also not strong enough to protect public
health. Coarse particles in the air can worsen respiratory symptoms and have
been linked to increased hospital admissions.
The EPA should not allow numerous high pollution days to occur before a
violation is recorded, and must not allow averaging between monitors in
polluted areas and those in cleaner places. Monitor averaging can be used as an
excuse to avoid controlling serious local pollution problems. Finally, air
quality standards must be set exclusively to protect health. The EPA should not
include cost or technical feasibility considerations in the decision on this
issue.
For the health of my family and of future generations, I urge you to set
standards that will make the air safe to breathe in all of our communities.
Sincerely,
[Your name and address]
==========================
Updates on Previous Alerts
==========================
1. ENVIRONMENTAL LAW EXEMPTIONS
Last month we sent you an urgent alert about provisions in a House immigration
bill that would give the Department of Homeland Security sweeping new authority
to waive all federal and state laws, including those that protect public
health, worker safety and the environment, for the construction of roads,
walls, fences and other barriers along U.S. borders. You sent more than 13,500
messages in the 24 hours before the vote (thank you so much for such a huge and
speedy response!), but we are sorry to have to report that the House defeated
an attempt to strike the provision, 179-243, so the harmful language remains in
the final bill (which easily passed). The waiver would allow the DHS to ignore
long-standing laws like the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and Safe Drinking
Water Act -- as well as criminal, labor safety and other laws -- when
undertaking large construction projects along our borders. The Senate has not
indicated when it will consider immigration legislation, or whether it will
include a similar provision in its version of a bill, but we'll be sure to let
you know if/when messages to your senators are needed to try to block the
passage of this alarming legislation. Thanks again to everyone who took action.
2. GLOBAL MERCURY POLLUTION
Last month we asked you to urge the State Department to take a strong stand on
mercury reduction efforts at the February 21st meeting of the United Nations
Environment Programme in Nairobi. Although you sent 11,500 messages to the
State Department (thank you!), the United States advocated only voluntary
measures, which the UNEP Governing Council agreed to. Environmental and health
organizations maintain that the agreement will not adequately protect public
health or the environment from the risks posed by mercury pollution. You can
read more about the UNEP decision at
http://www.nrdc.org/media/#0225merc
========================
Subscription Information
========================
NRDC distributes three bulletins by email: the CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST NETWORK
ACTION ALERT, EARTH ACTION, and LEGISLATIVE WATCH. To subscribe to any or all
of them, go to:
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You may also unsubscribe from Earth Action by sending an email message to
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REMOVE in the subject line.
==========
About NRDC
==========
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit environmental organization
with more than 550,000 members nationwide and a staff of scientists, attorneys
and environmental experts. Our mission is to protect the planet's wildlife and
wild places and ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things.
For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of NRDC, please
contact us at:
Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
General email: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
Earth Action email: nrdcaction@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org
Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org
===========
Natural Resources Defense Council's
LEGISLATIVE WATCH
February 24, 2005
==================================
This is a status report on congressional action on the environment.
The
information in this bulletin is also available on our website at
http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/legwatch.asp (the web version
links to the text
of bills and congressional web pages). To take action on these and
other
environmental issues, visit NRDC's Earth Action Center at
http://www.nrdc.org/action/.
(Please do not reply to this message. See the instructions below for
how to
unsubscribe or contact NRDC with questions or comments.)
==================================
Congress held hearings on the FY06 budget and considered several
energy and air
quality measures before adjourning for a week-long Presidents Day
recess.
===
Budget/Appropriations
House and Senate committees began holding hearings on the
president's FY06
budget request, which would cut environmental programs by 10.4
percent, from
$31.3 billion to $28 billion. The EPA's budget would be cut from $8
billion to
$7.5 billion. The biggest reduction would be in the State Revolving
Fund
program, a loan program for the construction of wastewater
infrastructure, such
as sewer systems and water pollution control plants. The president
proposed
reducing this fund by 25 percent, to $730 million, even though the
EPA
estimates that wastewater infrastructure needs over the next 20
years will
exceed $388 billion. The president's budget also contains language
that would
authorize drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. House and
Senate
Budget committees are expected to vote on the FY06 budget in March.
Neither
Rep. Nussle (R-IA), House Budget Committee chair, nor Sen. Gregg
(R-NH), chair
of the Senate Budget Committee, have indicated publicly whether they
will
include the Arctic drilling language in their versions of the budget
bills.
A complete budget analysis is available at
http://www.nrdc.org/media/pressreleases/050209a.asp
On 2/15, the House Appropriations Committee approved a
reorganization plan that
reduces the number of subcommittees -- and thus appropriations bills
-- from 13
to 10. The vote was 13 to 10, along party lines. The plan moves
funding of the
EPA to the Interior spending bill, and also consolidates Department
of Energy
funding into the Energy and Water spending bill. The Senate
Appropriations
Committee has not agreed to a similar reorganization, so the FY06
appropriations process will move forward with two different
committee
structures in place.
===
Air, Energy and Climate
Sen. Inhofe (R-OK), Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
chair, had
scheduled a 2/16 hearing to consider the president's "Clear Skies"
bill (S.
131). The bill would weaken the Clean Air Act by allowing power
plants to
release more pollution, and also fails to address controls on carbon
dioxide.
Sen. Inhofe was forced to cancel the hearing at the last minute to
avoid defeat
of the bill by a tie vote. The hearing has been rescheduled for the
week of
2/28, as both industry lobbyists and environmentalists target the
swing votes
of Sen. Baucus (D-MT) and Sen. Chafee (R-RI), both of whom have
expressed
opposition to the bill.
On 2/10, the House Science Committee considered the $44 billion
research and
development section of the energy bill (H.R. 610). This section
includes new
programs for energy efficiency and renewable energy, but still
contains most of
last session's dangerous provisions for the development of new types
of nuclear
reactors, "clean coal" and deepwater oil and gas exploration. How
much of the
this section is included in the final House version depends on
budgetary
constraints. No other House committees have scheduled votes on their
sections
of the bill.
Also on 2/10, Sen. McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Lieberman (D-CT), along
with Rep.
Gilchrest (R-MD) and Rep. Olver (D-MA), reintroduced the Climate
Stewardship
Act (S. 342, H.R. 759). The bill would create a comprehensive
market-based
emissions cap-and-trade program to cut global warming pollution from
the
biggest U.S. sources, including electric utilities, major industrial
and
commercial entities and refiners of transportation fuels. The Senate
defeated
the McCain-Lieberman bill in the 108th Congress by a vote of 43-55,
and while
four senators who supported the bill are no longer in office, there
appears to
be a growing sense among previous skeptics that global warming is a
real threat
that Congress must address. Sen. Hagel (R-NE), who voted against the
Climate
Stewardship Act, introduced three climate-related bills (S. 386, S.
387, and S.
388) that focus on technology for reducing global warming
pollutants. The bills
would encourage nuclear and "clean coal" power without meaningful
support for
energy efficiency or renewables and would not require mandatory
reductions in
carbon dioxide pollution. Still, they represent a shift in the
debate on global
warming that environmentalists find encouraging.
===
Environmental Law Exemptions
On 2/10, the House passed the REAL ID bill (H.R. 418), an
immigration bill that
includes a provision that would give the Secretary of Homeland
Security
sweeping new authority to waive any federal or state law during the
construction of border barriers and roads without judicial review.
The
provision would apply to the entire length of the Mexican and
Canadian borders,
and possibly to any coastal infrastructure controlled by the
Department of
Homeland Security. In addition to contract, criminal and labor
safety laws,
border projects could be exempted from environmental review under
the National
Environmental Policy Act or from provisions in the Clean Air Act,
Clean Water
Act and Safe Drinking Water Act designed to protect public health
and the
environment. An amendment to strike this "borders without laws"
provision
offered by Rep. Farr (D-CA) failed by a largely party line vote of
179-243. The
Senate has not yet scheduled consideration of immigration
legislation.
========================
Subscription Information
========================
NRDC distributes three bulletins by email: the CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST
NETWORK
ACTION ALERT, EARTH ACTION, and LEGISLATIVE WATCH. To subscribe to
any or all
of them, go to:
http://www.nrdcaction.org/join/subscribe.asp
If you already subscribe and want to change your subscriptions or
update your
email address or other information, go to:
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You may also unsubscribe from Legislative Watch by sending an email
message to
legwatch@nrdcaction.org
with REMOVE in the subject line.
==========
About NRDC
==========
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit environmental
organization
with more than 550,000 members nationwide and a staff of scientists,
attorneys
and environmental experts. Our mission is to protect the planet's
wildlife and
wild places and ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living
things.
For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of NRDC,
please
contact us at:
Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
Email: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org
Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org
===========
Dear Sierra Club Insider Subscriber,
They're back — bigger, badder, and more determined than ever.
"Big Oil" and its political cronies are launching yet another assault on the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the wildlife that call this remarkable place
home.
The Arctic Refuge — and its teeming plains rich with polar bears, gray
wolves, grizzlies, musk oxen, caribou, arctic foxes and scores of bird species —
is one of those places we cannot afford to lose.
If our generation is defined by what we preserve, this unique ecological gem
must remain at the top of our list.
Of course, that's not how Big Oil sees it. But we have a message for Big Oil
— we don't give up either!
That's where you come in.
Please take a moment to help protect the Arctic Refuge in two critical ways:
-
Sign our online petition to Senator Minority Leader Harry Reid,
registering your commitment to keeping the Refuge pristine and undeveloped;
and
-
Make an urgent donation supporting the Sierra Club and its efforts to take
the fight to the Halls of Congress. You can give online via our secure and
paperless web page.
Oil industry lobbyists are swaggering into Washington, confident that the
November elections have put them over the top in pursuit of their greedy,
self-serving agenda. And they want to make the Arctic Refuge the first in a long
line. To us, it's one of America's last great wildlands. To them, it's one of
the spoils of victory.
In past years, Sierra Club has succeeded in beating back assaults like these
— but only with the help of proven friends like you.
We need to send Big Oil a message — that Americans care about their natural
heritage, and will do what it takes to protect it.
Your urgent donation will help the Sierra Club and its efforts to expose the
lie behind oil industry claims that drilling in the refuge will lower gas
prices; unmask their false claim that they will conduct "ecologically safe
drilling," and help us advance legislation that will confer permanent protection
on this Arctic gem.
Please sign our petition and make your urgent donation today.
Sincerely,
Carl Pope
Executive Director
P.S.
Giving online saves time and paper, and is completely secure.
========================================
NRDC's EARTH ACTION:
The Bulletin for Environmental Activists
February 9, 2005
========================================
Urgent alert -- House vote scheduled for tomorrow!
Tell your representative not to let the Department of Homeland
Security
disregard health, safety and environmental laws
Take action now at
http://www.nrdcaction.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=52426
======================================================
Tomorrow, February 10th, the House of Representatives will vote on a
bill that
would grant the Department of Homeland Security sweeping new
authority to waive
all federal and state laws, including those that protect public
health, worker
safety and the environment, for the construction of roads, walls,
fences and
other barriers along U.S. borders. Under this sweeping waiver, the
DHS would be
free to undertake large construction projects without oversight,
accountability, or legal constraints anywhere along our borders --
from the
densely populated border communities in California, Texas and
Washington, to
the remote wilderness of Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge in
Arizona, to
the pristine islands and waters of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in
northern
Minnesota.
Federal and state laws that protect citizens from criminal
activities and
negligent business practices, as well as those that ensure civil
rights, public
health and safety and environmental protections, could be
disregarded. Long-
standing laws like the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and Safe
Drinking Water
Act could be ignored, putting communities at risk for increased
pollution.
Additionally, our border areas contain an enormous amount of
protected federal
lands, including national parks, wildlife refuges, forests and
wilderness
areas, that could be subject to this provision.
Border security can be ensured while shielding the public and the
environment
from harm and, indeed, the DHS has not demonstrated a need to waive
any laws.
In fact, not a single congressional hearing has illustrated a need
for these
broad exemptions. Never before has any federal agency been provided
with such a
breadth of unjustified exemptions from our laws.
== What to do ==
Send a message *right now* urging your representative to oppose any
attempts to
allow the Department of Homeland Security to waive environmental,
health and
safety laws.
== Contact information ==
You can email or fax your representative directly from NRDC's Earth
Action
Center at
http://www.nrdcaction.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=52426
If you prefer to call your representative, the Capitol switchboard
number is
202-224-3121 (or toll-free at 800-839-5276).
Please also forward this message to your friends and co-workers and
urge them
to contact their representatives as well.
Thank you!
==================================================
To update your email address or other information, go to:
http://www.nrdcaction.org/profileeditor/. To unsubscribe from
Earth Action,
send an email message to
earthaction@nrdcaction.org with REMOVE in the subject
line.
==========
About NRDC
==========
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit environmental
organization
with more than 550,000 members nationwide and a staff of scientists,
attorneys
and environmental experts. Our mission is to protect the planet's
wildlife and
wild places and ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living
things.
For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of NRDC,
please
contact us at:
Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
Email: nrdcaction@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org
Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org
===========
February 2005
I've been reading Jared Diamond's interesting new book,
Collapse, which looks at the ways different societies, past and
present, have responded to environmental problems. Some of these societies
recognized the trouble in time, changed their practices and thrived. Others
carried on like the proverbial ostrich, head in sand, and swiftly collapsed,
leaving remnants of once great civilizations behind as precautionary testaments
to their fate.
For instance, the Japanese addressed their deforestation
problem early and well. Four hundred years ago, they began taking measures to
protect and reforest their lands. Today, Japan is 80 percent forested, despite
having one of the highest population densities in the developed world. The
Easter Islanders, on the other hand, let their deforestation problem get so out
of hand that they denuded their entire island. There wasn't even enough wood
left to build seaworthy ships with which to escape.
The point of the book is that a moment may come in the
life of a society when it must act or face collapse. I worry that our own moment
is now -- not so much for deforestation or desertification, overconsumption or
biodiversity loss (though these are all urgent problems, too), but for global
warming. Here's why I fear this is the problem our civilization could founder
on:
Global warming is already well underway.
The earth's average surface temperature increased by about 1° F in the 20th
century and is projected to increase another 2.5 to 10.4° F in the 21st unless
we significantly reduce our global warming gas emissions. Observable changes due
to global warming include shrinking glaciers, thawing permafrost, earlier
break-up of river and lake ice, sea level rise, lengthening of mid- to
high-latitude growing seasons and earlier tree flowering.
The consequences of continued global warming
could be highly disruptive -- even catastrophic. Possible effects
include the flooding of low-lying islands and coastal areas, increased inland
flooding, more heat waves and other extreme weather events, more droughts and
wildfires, ecosystem shifts, species die-outs and the spread of disease as
disease-bearing insects move to previously inhospitable climes.
Global warming is not easily reversible.
Even if we were to cut back on the sources of global warming pollution
immediately, the earth's temperature would continue to rise for decades before
it stabilized and declined. The process is analogous to what happens during a
typical sunny day. The temperature continues to climb into the afternoon, after
the sun has reached its zenith, and doesn't drop to its nadir until hours after
the sun has set.
Global warming is a worldwide phenomenon.
If we are stupid enough to let the problem spin wildly out of control, there
won't be new lands to escape to (though some places will be much less affected
than others). It's not that I think we'll die out as a species -- just that
we'll be thrown back to a more primitive way of living, with all the sickness,
struggle and hardship that could entail. The Easter Islanders didn't die out
either, but their extraordinary civilization did. By 1722 when the Dutch
explorer Jacob Roggeveen found them, they were a small, ragged, hungry
population that still had the skills to erect the magnificent multi-ton statues
for which they became famous, but no longer had the resources.
Many people throw up their hands at the immensity of the
problem, figuring there's nothing they, as individuals, can do. I have the
opposite reaction. The immensity is what makes me feel I'd better do something
quick. My approach is three-pronged, consisting of:
1) PERSONAL ACTION: I try to keep my family's energy
consumption down by buying energy-efficient fixtures and appliances -- and by
reducing our reliance on them. (See below for suggestions on how you can do the
same.)
2) POLITICAL ACTION: I let elected officials know how I
feel about global warming. Mostly, I send email, but I also make calls and write
old-fashioned letters, since they count more to some officials.
3) SOCIAL ACTION: I talk the issue up with family,
friends and acquaintances. If all of the people concerned about global warming
did the same, perhaps we could bring society's recognition of the problem to the
"tipping point" where debate would end and action finally begin.
Crucial moments in life and history don't announce
themselves, which is why they're so easy to miss. No warning bell rang when the
Easter Islanders cut down one tree too many. It's only afterwards, when the
damage is done, that the moment finally becomes obvious. By then it's too late
to reverse. Let's not let that happen to us.
—Sheryl Eisenberg
Hi Thomas,
California is taking some courageous and critical steps toward
confronting the global warming crisis. But the automobile industry
is fighting back, and we need your voice today. Thank you for
receiving Animals and Environment Alerts from Care2! We have a
special California alert for you today. Please take a moment to help
prevent a climate crisis in California:
http://www.care2.com/go/z/17882
A new analysis co-authored by scientists at Union of Concerned
Scientists (UCS) makes the reality of global warming in California
very clear: the severity of global warming depends on our emissions
of heat-trapping gas. The more we emit, the worse the impacts. The
study projects a dramatic increase in heat waves and heat-related
mortality, and significant reductions in Sierra snow pack, if we
don't act soon:
http://www.care2.com/go/z/17882
Despite these findings, automakers are expected to file a lawsuit
against California's landmark regulations to reduce global warming
pollution from cars and light trucks. These strong new regulations
would reduce greenhouse gas emissions from new passenger vehicles
30% by 2016. And we can't confront the climate crisis without
confronting the pollution from our cars: passenger cars and
trucks alone account for approximately 40% of the global warming
gases emitted in California.
These regulations make sense and are good for our environment and
our health. Please help us to encourage Governor Schwarzenegger to
stand firm against pressures from the automobile industry, and to
continue to support these strong regulations to protect our climate.
Sign this petition:
http://www.care2.com/go/z/17882
Thank you for acting today!
- Rebecca,
Care2 and ThePetitionSite team
http://www.care2.com/go/z/rebecca
October 10, 2004
The Lingering Cloud of 9/11 by Jenna Orkin, World Trade Center
Environmental Organization
The World Trade Center Environmental Organization's spokeswoman
Jenna Orkin is a witness to the lingering toxicity of the area
surrounding what the media call "ground zero." While the "war on
terror" spreads its depleted uranium dust across Eurasia, downtown
New York City is one more place where people live and work while the
damage of September 11th 2001 continues to expand.
Read now at:
http://www.fromthewilderness.com
Hi Thomas,
Have you heard about the Ford Escape, Ford's new hybrid SUV? Once
completed, it will be the first hybrid gasoline- electric SUV on the
market. This is a good first step, but Ford can - and must - do more
to improve the fuel efficiency of its SUVs:
http://www.care2.com/go/z/17680
As a recipient of Care2's Global Warming Alerts, you can help us
today to help Ford take a major step toward doing its part to
prevent global warming pollution. We want to urge Ford to take this
hybrid technology and improve the #1 SUV in America - the Explorer.
Sign this petition to Ford:
http://www.care2.com/go/z/17680
For as little as $600 per vehicle, Ford could improve the average
fuel economy of the conventional Explorer from 18mpg to 23.6mpg. For
an additional $2,315 per Explorer, Ford could increase fuel economy
to 30.7mpg. And every gallon of gas saved would prevent 24 pounds of
heat- trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) from being released into the
atmosphere!
For the good of the environment, our climate, and our health, we
need to increase the fuel economy of America's cars and trucks.
Please join us in telling Ford's Chairman and CEO, William Ford,
that he is on the right track with the Escape Hybrid, and that by
improving the conventional Explorer; he can help make Ford the
leading company providing genuine SUV choices to American drivers.
Please sign this petition today:
http://www.care2.com/go/z/17680
Thank you for helping our planet today!
-Rebecca,
Care2 and ThePetitionSite team
http://www.care2.com/go/z/rebecca
October 7, 2004
Update on A Call for Action - by Dale Allen Pfeiffer
The response to the essay A Call for Action has been tremendous. We
received numerous submissions in the months following the release of
this essay, and articles are still trickling in. In general, we are
very pleased by the quality of these submissions and the practical
advice they contain. At present, we are about halfway through the
editing process on all of the essays received to date.
Read now at:
http://www.fromthewilderness.com
Dear Thomas,
Two weeks ago, we asked you to help us protect imperiled wildlife, and you
responded overwhelmingly. We've raised over $17,000 in just a week to protect
dolphins, wolves, polar bears and their habitats!
Because of this success, we're now launching a new campaign with Defenders of
Wildlife to educate people about the recent attempts to weaken the dolphin safe
tuna label. This will threaten hundreds of thousands of dolphins that could face
painful suffocating deaths in tuna nets.
But we cannot do this without your
help.
Amanda Beard,
Olympic gold medalist and champion conservationist. |
With your help, Defenders will send a public service announcement featuring
Olympic gold-medalist Amanda Beard to hundreds of television stations that
should captivate the public and build support to protect dolphins. Citizens
won't let dolphins be slaughtered again! After all, when the dolphin safe tuna
label went into effect, the number of dolphins killed decreased by 97%.
You can help support this
important initiative, by "adopting" a dolphin today.
If a tuna label says "dolphin safe" we want to know that dolphins were not
targeted when the tuna was caught. Yet, the fishing industry is pressuring
our government to call tuna caught by targeting dolphins as "dolphin safe," even
though scientists know that such targeting actually harms, if not kills
dolphins, and even separates mother dolphins from their helpless babies.
Over 7 million dolphins have been killed in fishing nets since the
1950's. "Adopt" a dolphin today and
help us give dolphins a break.
When you adopt a dolphin, you will help Defenders of Wildlife provide Americans
with the facts. That's all it should take! In the public service announcement,
Amanda Beard discusses the importance of the dolphin safe tuna label and how it
could be weakened soon. She explains that fishing nets could once again
suffocate and drown thousands of dolphins. Citizens have done it before, and
with proper information, they will once again stand up for the integrity of the
dolphin-safe tuna label. In addition to knowing you're helping protect dolphins,
your adoption comes with a plush dolphin toy and a year-long subscription to
Defenders' award-winning magazine.
Help us make sure powerful fishing
interests aren't allowed to kill more dolphins.
Thank you for your help,
Lisa Sock
Care2 & ThePetitionSite
P.S. Defenders of Wildlife recently won an important court case against special
interests that were trying to weaken America's "dolphin safe" tuna labeling
laws. But, the fishing industry is regrouping to try again. Help keep dolphins
safe by "adopting" a dolphin today.
http://www.care2.com/go/z/17562
Have an opinion about what you've read here? Visit the Care2 Feedback group
and share your thoughts with the community:
http://www.care2.com/go/z/newsletter
Thank you for signing up to receive this Animals and Environment Alerts
Newsletter via ThePetitionSite or Care2 website! If you learned something
interesting from this newsletter, please forward it to your friends, family and
colleagues. To stop receiving this newsletter, visit:
http://www.care2.com/newsletters/unsub/11/2231147/2273550/955288a3
or send an empty email to:
do-unsub-11-2231147-2273550-955288a3@australia.care2.com
Care2.com, Inc. - 275 Shoreline Drive, Suite 150 - Redwood City, CA 94065
Dear Thomas,
Seven million dead dolphins. It's a number almost too large to
comprehend. But that's how many dolphins have died since the late
1950's from being caught in fishing nets to ultimately drown or
suffer severe injuries. Dolphins, one of the most intelligent marine
mammals, were tracked by fishermen, tangled in nets, and left to
die, all for the tuna industry.
We need your help today to prevent this senseless slaughter
again:
http://www.care2.com/go/z/17258
For reasons unknown to scientists, dolphins are often accompanied by
substantial schools of large, mature yellowfin tuna. So fishermen
trying to catch tuna look for dolphins first. Another fact about
dolphins: they are mammals, just like we are - they breathe air, and
so have to swim to the surface of the water periodically to breathe.
But this means that when fishermen chase them to the point of
exhaustion to make the tuna beneath them easier to catch, the
dolphins are then caught in the fishing nets and dragged beneath the
water, where they suffocate and drown.
Dolphins have suffered horrible deaths for the sake of catching
tuna, and then they are tossed aside. Please help us protect
dolphins today:
http://www.care2.com/go/z/17258
In the past, tuna caught through the targeting of dolphins could not
carry the "dolphin-safe" label. But federal officials recently tried
to weaken the definition of the dolphin-safe label on tuna cans.
This action would devastate dolphin populations.
Help us ensure that our government makes the right decision to
protect dolphins. Our partner, Defenders of Wildlife, has a special
team of experts working with Congressional offices to prevent the
senseless slaughter of dolphins. But the international fishing
industry is powerful. We need your support to help us protect
dolphins from again dying in unprecedented numbers.
You can help today by "adopting" a dolphin. When you adopt a
dolphin, you will help Defenders of Wildlife continue their critical
legal, legislative and grassroots efforts against the powerful
fishing industry to protect the "dolphin-safe" label and fight
against deadly fishing practices. Please adopt one of these
magnificent creatures today:
http://www.care2.com/go/z/17258
If you believe dolphins are as special as I do, and that these
intelligent creatures deserve to be protected from careless fishing
practices, please give generously to help Defenders of Wildlife
strengthen efforts to ensure dolphins swim freely.
Thank you for caring,
Lisa Sock
Care2 & ThePetitionSite
Bush Record: New Priorities in Environment
By FELICITY BARRINGER
The Bush administration has accelerated
resource development on public lands and has pushed to eliminate
regulatory hurdles for military and industrial projects.
NASA Science News for September 10, 2004
A microbe from the Dead Sea may hold the key to protecting
astronauts from
one of the greatest threats they would face during a mission to
Mars:
space radiation.
FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/10sep_radmicrobe.htm?list1165645
NASA Science News for September 9, 2004
If you must wake up early, the next three mornings are a good time
to do
it. The dawn sky is sparkling with planets (Mercury, Venus and
Saturn),
bright stars and a lovely crescent Moon.
FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/09sep_morningplanets.htm?list1165645
Space Weather News for Sept. 7, 2004
http://spaceweather.com
On Wednesday morning, Sept. 8th, NASA's Genesis space capsule will
streak
over Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and Utah, returning samples of the solar
wind
to Earth. Sky watchers within 100 miles of the reentry path might be
able
to see the fireball in broad daylight. The best place to be is
northern
Nevada, where the fireball is expected to be brightest.
New maps and data files just posted on Spaceweather.com may help
observers
locate and track the capsule.
Visual observations of the event will be limited to a narrow
corridor
around the reentry path, but ham radio operators across a much
broader
area can detect the fireball--by listening. The capsule will blaze
a
radio-reflecting plasma trail from Oregon to Utah. The reentry
offers an
opportunity for meteor-burst communications. Follow the links at
Spaceweather.com for more information.
NASA Science News for September 3, 2004
On September 8th, a daylight fireball will streak across the western
United States. It's Genesis, returning samples of the Sun to Earth.
FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/03sep_genesisreentry.htm?list1165645
NASA Science News for September 2, 2004
Four months after launch, NASA's Gravity Probe B spacecraft has
begun its
search for an elusive space-time vortex around Earth.
FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/20aug_gpbupdate.htm?list1165645
http://www.care2.com/go/z/16704
Our cars are a big part of the problem: passenger cars and
trucks alone are responsible for over half of California's smog
problem and account for approximately 40% of the global warming
gases emitted in California. The build-up of global warming gases in
the atmosphere leads to higher temperatures that can then worsen
smog.
California recently passed legislation that requires the state Air
Resources Board (ARB) to adopt regulations to achieve the "maximum
feasible and cost effective reduction" of global warming pollution
from motor vehicles. The air resources board's draft regulations
would require automakers to reduce emissions from new cars and
trucks starting in 2009. These regulations are urgently needed to
protect public health and air quality, and your voice is critical.
Across Asia, Beijing's Star Is in Ascendance
By JANE PERLEZ
From the mines of Australia to the forests of
Myanmar, China's rapid growth is sucking up resources and pulling
the region's economies in its wake.
NASA Science News for August 27, 2004
It's hard enough staying the right weight here on Earth. In space,
it
might be even harder. According to NASA-supported researchers,
altered
gravity somehow disrupts the natural ability
of animals to maintain the appropriate weight.
FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/27aug_fatrat.htm?list1165645
Ozone
Wars are increasing by all countries on the planet... Current UN Reports.
There
are many alternative fuels to Oil, and they can be massed produced
on a global energy supply level....
Integrity matters to know one but yourselves. Do it Right
Corporations.
Keep
your word, and you will keep your Respect...
NRDC: Global Warming
NRDC: Get the Real
Scoop About Global Warming
13 Pesticides in your
body
NASA Science News for August 19, 2004
The radiation astronauts encounter in deep space could put vital
blood-making cells in jeopardy. Could this be a problem for
astronauts en
route to Mars?
FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/19aug_blood.htm?list1165645
NASA Science News for August 16, 2004
There's nothing routine about working in space, as astronaut Mike
Fincke
found out recently when he did some soldering onboard the
International
Space Station.
FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/16aug_solder.htm?list1165645
Space Weather News for August 10, 2004
http://spaceweather.com
PERSEID METEORS: The Perseid meteor shower peaks this week. Look
for rare
but lovely Perseid Earthgrazers when the sun goes down on Wednesday,
August 11th. Then, before dawn on Thursday, August 12th, go outside
for
the main event: as many as 60 meteors per hour. Getting away from
city
lights is a good idea: dark skies reveal more meteors.
VENUS AND THE MOON: Early Thursday morning just before dawn when the
Perseid meteor shower is supposed to be most intense, Venus and the
crescent moon will appear side-by-side in the eastern sky. This
lovely
pair would be worth waking up for even if there were no meteor
shower.
Check SpaceWeather.com for a sky map.
BIG SUNSPOT: Sunspot 649, which unleashed several powerful solar
flares
in July, is back and it's growing again. The large spot has a
complex
magnetic field that harbors energy for X-class solar flares. It's
easy to
see, but never look directly at the blinding sun. Check
SpaceWeather.com
for safe solar observing tips.
NASA Science News for August 9, 2004
Like bugs streaking colorfully down the side window of a moving car,
Earthgrazing Perseid meteors could put on a striking show after
sunset on
August 11th.
FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/09aug_horseflies.htm?list1165645
Through volunteer translation, at least some
Science@NASA stories are
translated into 9 languages. Learn more at
http://science.nasa.gov/OtherLanguages.htm
Space Weather News for July 28, 2004
http://spaceweather.com
BLUE MOON: According to modern folklore, there's a Blue Moon coming
on
July 31st. It's the second full moon in a calendar month. But will
it be
blue? Believe it or not, scientists say blue-colored moons are real.
They're caused by forest fires, volcanoes and dust storms. Follow
the
links at Spaceweather.com to read about some genuine blue moon
sightings.
NORTHERN LIGHTS: A coronal mass ejection hit Earth's magnetic field
on
July 26th and sparked a severe geomagnetic storm. At the height of
the
storm, sky watchers spotted Northern Lights as far south as
California in
the United States. You can see the pictures in our growing
photo-galler |
