美国气候行必威官网是真的吗动昨天得到了四位前EPA管理员的支持,他们为共和党总统服务。威廉·D·鲁克沙斯(William D. Ruckelshaus),李·托马斯(Lee M.“Climate Change: The Need to Act Now.”他们为国会传达了一个明确的信息:气候变化是对美国经济,环境和社区最大的威胁之一,而不必是党必威官网是真的吗派问题。

Indeed, what was most encouraging about today’s hearing was authoritative Republican voices calling for climate action, something presently missing from much of the debate in Congress today. In recent years, the issue of climate change has moved from one of reasonable debate about how best to address threats, to one where sharp partisan lines have been drawn, making it difficult to make progress. But as today’s hearing demonstrates, this was not always the case—and need not be the case in the future.

A History Lesson on Environmental Action

EPA是在尼克松总统的领导下创建的,Ruckelshaus担任第一任管理员。正如四名管理者所说,该机构面临着鲁克沙斯所说的“强大的经济利益”的抵抗,反对者认为环境举措将破坏就业机会和经济,这与今天的气候行动批评者所说的相似。必威官网是真的吗然而,由于两党的支持,EPA仍然取得了巨大的进展 - 少年后,我们可以看到环境和经济利益。“从1980年到2012年,美国六种普通空气污染物的总排放量下降了67%,”乔治·W·布什(George W. Bush)总统的EPA管理员惠特曼说。“与此同时,我们的人口增长了38%,我们的能源消耗增长了27%,而我们的GDP超过了两倍。”

Today’s witnesses made clear that if history is prologue, we can take bold action to address climate change, show leadership, and strengthen our nation and economy as we do so.

The Costs of Climate Change Inaction

“The models of the world’s leading scientists predict rising seas, drought, floods, wildfires, and more severe and frequent storms,” said Ruckelshaus, who is also a WRI Board member. “We are seeing impacts already.”

He pointed to the Puget Sound, where coral bleaching threatens the region’s $275 million shellfish industry. Thomas, who headed the EPA during the Reagan administration and is also a WRI Board member, highlighted他的家乡佛罗里达州, where sea level rise overwhelms drainage systems and infiltrates the drinking water supply of coastal towns. Reilly, President George H.W. Bush’s environment administrator, discussed his role on California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s task force, which determined that 1,100 levees in the Sacramento Basin simply won’t survive projected sea level rise. And New York, Boston, New Orleans, and other communities face similarly expensive threats from a warmer world.

“The economic impact is undeniable,” Thomas said. “Local governments struggle to address today’s impacts of climate change while trying to anticipate the increased risk it poses in the future.”

The Benefits of Climate Change Action

Tackling climate change now can not only prevent some of the more costly and “draconian impacts later this century,” as Reilly said, but it can also generate economic benefits.

采用新宣布的美国发电厂排放标准,这是该国为减少碳污染而采取的最重要的行动之一。发电厂是美国温室气体排放的最优惠的来源,约占总数的三分之一。正如参议员谢尔顿·怀特豪斯(Sheldon Whitehouse)指出的那样,EPA提议的电厂规则将在2030年每年产生930亿美元的公共福利。

WRI分析finds that a number of states are already in a good position to comply with the new power plant standards through existing infrastructure opportunities and current energy targets. Indeed, evidence shows that curbing power plant emissions through increased renewable power generation and efficiency can reduce costs for states, consumers,and utilities. For example, Michigan’s energy efficiency standardsaved the state $1 billionin its first three years. Another study found that reducing Tennessee’s energy usage by 6.6 percent by 2020would generate $1.6 billionin electricity savings in that year, with the average household saving $264 on their annual energy bill.

正如昨天的证词强调的那样,我们过去曾解决过复杂的环境问题,并且在两党支持的同时,我们在增加了GDP并增长了我们的经济方面做到了这一点。正如证据所示,该国无力不采取雄心勃勃的气候行动。必威官网是真的吗