Prospects for a comprehensive climate bill passing this year suffered a blow Saturday after Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (South Carolina), who had been helping to write and sponsor the bill, pulled out of negotiations. But although Graham has split from Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), the split fortunately does not appear to be on substantive issues, but instead is a procedural protest directed at Majority Leader Reid. In a nut shell, Graham wants the climate bill taken up now, and not put off until after an immigration reform bill which Reid is considering pushing forward.
More details about this policy update can be found in the following articles:
Congress always has its ups and downs, and while this development has sparked much speculation and worry, we need to keep our message steady and strong! Please check back soon for more updates and make sure you have contacted your Senators to urge them to not cut the world's poorest communities out of the climate bill.
Today marks the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, and it couldn't come at a better time. Climate change is more relevant today than ever before; not only is the science clear-- with the consensus of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which represents the collaboration of over 2,500 scientific expert reviewers and 800 authors from 130 countries-- but the impacts are clear, too. Climate change is no longer a problem of the future that we can put off dealing with, we simply don't have that luxury, now knowing what we do.
Bill McKibben may have put it best when he spoke at the World Affairs Council in San Francisco, CA last night. He explained that, in this new era, we have to change the way we think, and the vocabulary we use. In developing countries (and developed), we can no longer talk about "growth". We need to instead discuss options for "stability," "security," and "resilience." And that is what International Adaptation is all about.
Fortunately, the US President's Interagency Task Force on Climate Change Adaptation is working on this and they've released a progress report, which can be found here. They are accepting public comments (until May 14) and we need to show them that people nationwide support adaptation funding. So today, on the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, in addition to taking the bus, shortening your shower, or planting a tree, take a minute to read the report, and leave your honest and informed feedback. To view public comments go here.
Finally, we'll leave you with this inspiring message from President Obama, who sums up pretty well the urgency with which we need to think about and act on climate change.
Newsweek magazine recently released a limited edition special issue featuring 100 places to remember before they disappear due to the devastating impacts of climate change. With a moving introduction by Fareed Zakaria, this tribute to only some of the many places suffering from rising sea levels, diminishing resources, or dying eco-systems, is an important reminder that climate change is happening now and to a very serious degree. While much of the damage to our planet cannot be reversed, there is still plenty we can do to prevent further devastation, like the loss of entire low-lying island nations (a risk facing the Republic of Kiribati, not featured in Newsweek's report).
Stay tuned for more action opportunities, through which you can join the fight for comprehensive climate change legislation. A climate bill is expected to drop in the U.S. Senate April 26th, just after Earth Day, and in this bill Oxfam is calling for adequate funding for international adaptation, so that the most vulnerable communities bearing the brunt of climate change can cope. After all, it's these communities who contribute the least to climate change, and yet they stand to lose the most.
