Brookings doesn't give a glowing approval of Waxman-Markey, but it does make excellent points about green innovation. Something to consider:
http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2009/0526_innovation_muro.aspx
Noting American progress on climate change appears to lag behind those of other developed countries:
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/05/counting_progress.html
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Oxfam Action Corps - Upcoming Meeting
We will be holding our first general meeting for all people interested in the Oxfam Action Corps. Details to come, but keep your pens and day-planners handy.
As if you needed more reason to support ACES...
"Ten Reasons to Support Waxman-Markey Energy Bill"
http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2009/05/waxman_markey_reasons.html
Also, there was a story on KUNM this morning about a conference of business leaders, non-profit organizers and members of state government issuing a statement in support of substantive action on climate change. If anyone knows more about this, or has a link to the article, please email nmoxfamactioncorps@gmail.com.
http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2009/05/waxman_markey_reasons.html
Also, there was a story on KUNM this morning about a conference of business leaders, non-profit organizers and members of state government issuing a statement in support of substantive action on climate change. If anyone knows more about this, or has a link to the article, please email nmoxfamactioncorps@gmail.com.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Great article that describes the kind of legislation we are working towards!
From politico.com
In need of climate change cash
By: Lisa Lerer
May 13, 2009 04:36 AM EST
climate change bill.
The groups argue that helping developing countries cut greenhouse gases and protect against the effects of global warming is a key to success at the international climate talks scheduled for December in Copenhagen.
"The U.S. can't go completely empty-handed to Copenhagen," said Oxfam America President Raymond Offenheiser.
Existing problems of poverty and malnutrition in poorer countries have been exacerbated by climate change, experts say, as changing weather patterns and intensified storms hurt agricultural yields and infrastructure.
Roughly 262 million people were affected by climate disasters annually from 2000 to 2004, with over 98 percent of them in the developing world, according to the Human Development Report issued last year by the United Nations Development Program.
Developing nations argue that richer countries should help them offset these effects, given that they produce significantly more of the other greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. Rich countries "containing just 15 percent of the world's population" account for almost half of carbon dioxide emissions, according to UNDP.
Connie Hedegaard, Denmark's minister for climate and energy, told reporters that a deal at Copenhagen would be impossible unless richer nations bridge the divide between developed and developing countries with additional funds.
"Politically, it must be additional, and that could be a game changer," she told reporters last week.
The UNDP estimated that by 2015, developing countries would require $86 billion a year for climate adaptation, which includes measures such as reinforcing infrastructure, making sure water supplies are potable and helping poor countries adapt to changing agricultural conditions.
Last month, 23 Democrats sent a letter to Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), pushing the Energy and Commerce Committee chairman to include "robust" international financing in his energy and climate bill. The committee is expected to vote on the bill before the Memorial Day recess.
"Comprehensive climate change legislation should devote a significant portion of generated revenues to investments in international adaptation, clean technology cooperation and forest protecting activities in the developing world," the Democrats wrote. "It is an opportunity for leadership, innovation, economic growth at home and abroad, and trust building with developing countries."
Waxman's draft bill proposes the creation of a specialized international climate change program at USAID to provide assistance to the "most vulnerable developing countries."
Some aid organizations, religious and environmental groups would like 7 percent, or $7 billion, of any revenues generated by Waxman's legislation devoted to international adaptation efforts. The funding would have to be flexible enough to help communities deal with different needs, such as reinforcing buildings to deal with flooding from melting glaciers, reducing soil erosion with reforestation programs and diversifying agriculture practices to cope with changing
environmental conditions.
Religious groups cite funding for international adaptation as their No. 1 priority for the bill.
"The moral measure of climate change legislation is how it treats the poor and vulnerable in our own country and around the world," John Carr, director of justice, peace and human development for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement.
Religious groups, sponsored by the faith-based, nonprofit American Values Network, are running ads on Christian radio in key districts in seven states and e-mailing more than 5.3 million evangelicals and Catholics, urging them to support climate change legislation that pays
special attention to the needs of vulnerable communities at home and abroad.
The prospective funding could also help mitigate the new national security risks created by changing weather conditions, the groups argue. Droughts, famines and floods caused by global warming could destabilize regions around the world as competition increases for food
and water.
"Supporting climate readiness now can help avert global instability and will save billions of dollars down the road in emergency relief and military engagement by reducing the worst effects of climate-related disasters," a group of 24 international aid and environmental groups
wrote in a March letter to the heads of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and its Energy and Environment Subcommittee.
Cap and Trade: Swallow That Term
Democrats are getting their talking points in order as the climate change debate heats up this week.
On Monday, pollster Mark Mellman briefed Democratic press aides in the House on the most politically savvy ways to talk about climate change. The briefing aimed to prepare the press secretaries for the crush of coverage expected this week, after Energy and Commerce
Committee Chairman Henry Waxman unveils his complex climate and energy bill.
The meeting, a weekly confab for House press secretaries, was one of the most well-attended since January, according to one participant.
The phrase "clean energy jobs" is the best way to explain the benefits of climate change legislation, according to polling presented in PowerPoint by Mellman.
Using "cap and trade" to describe the legislation - which creates an auction market for carbon emissions - is a mistake, because voters find the term confusing. Also to be avoided is "green jobs," a phrase popular with environmentalists to describe careers in renewable energy,
energy efficiency and other types of sustainable technologies. Voters think the term describes white-collar jobs for highly educated professors, according to Democratic aides at the meeting.
A Rasmussen poll released on Monday found that just 24 percent of voters correctly identified the cap-and-trade proposal as dealing with environmental issues. Slightly more - 29 percent - thought the term was about regulating Wall Street, and 17 percent thought it had to do with
health care reform. Thirty percent had no idea.
In need of climate change cash
By: Lisa Lerer
May 13, 2009 04:36 AM EST
A loose coalition of international aid organizations, religious groups, environmental advocates and some businesses are lobbying Congress to include billions for international aid in the forthcoming
The groups argue that helping developing countries cut greenhouse gases and protect against the effects of global warming is a key to success at the international climate talks scheduled for December in Copenhagen.
"The U.S. can't go completely empty-handed to Copenhagen," said Oxfam America President Raymond Offenheiser.
Existing problems of poverty and malnutrition in poorer countries have been exacerbated by climate change, experts say, as changing weather patterns and intensified storms hurt agricultural yields and infrastructure.
Roughly 262 million people were affected by climate disasters annually from 2000 to 2004, with over 98 percent of them in the developing world, according to the Human Development Report issued last year by the United Nations Development Program.
Developing nations argue that richer countries should help them offset these effects, given that they produce significantly more of the other greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. Rich countries "containing just 15 percent of the world's population" account for almost half of carbon dioxide emissions, according to UNDP.
Connie Hedegaard, Denmark's minister for climate and energy, told reporters that a deal at Copenhagen would be impossible unless richer nations bridge the divide between developed and developing countries with additional funds.
"Politically, it must be additional, and that could be a game changer," she told reporters last week.
The UNDP estimated that by 2015, developing countries would require $86 billion a year for climate adaptation, which includes measures such as reinforcing infrastructure, making sure water supplies are potable and helping poor countries adapt to changing agricultural conditions.
Last month, 23 Democrats sent a letter to Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), pushing the Energy and Commerce Committee chairman to include "robust" international financing in his energy and climate bill. The committee is expected to vote on the bill before the Memorial Day recess.
"Comprehensive climate change legislation should devote a significant portion of generated revenues to investments in international adaptation, clean technology cooperation and forest protecting activities in the developing world," the Democrats wrote. "It is an opportunity for leadership, innovation, economic growth at home and abroad, and trust building with developing countries."
Waxman's draft bill proposes the creation of a specialized international climate change program at USAID to provide assistance to the "most vulnerable developing countries."
Some aid organizations, religious and environmental groups would like 7 percent, or $7 billion, of any revenues generated by Waxman's legislation devoted to international adaptation efforts. The funding would have to be flexible enough to help communities deal with different needs, such as reinforcing buildings to deal with flooding from melting glaciers, reducing soil erosion with reforestation programs and diversifying agriculture practices to cope with changing
environmental conditions.
Religious groups cite funding for international adaptation as their No. 1 priority for the bill.
"The moral measure of climate change legislation is how it treats the poor and vulnerable in our own country and around the world," John Carr, director of justice, peace and human development for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement.
Religious groups, sponsored by the faith-based, nonprofit American Values Network, are running ads on Christian radio in key districts in seven states and e-mailing more than 5.3 million evangelicals and Catholics, urging them to support climate change legislation that pays
special attention to the needs of vulnerable communities at home and abroad.
The prospective funding could also help mitigate the new national security risks created by changing weather conditions, the groups argue. Droughts, famines and floods caused by global warming could destabilize regions around the world as competition increases for food
and water.
"Supporting climate readiness now can help avert global instability and will save billions of dollars down the road in emergency relief and military engagement by reducing the worst effects of climate-related disasters," a group of 24 international aid and environmental groups
wrote in a March letter to the heads of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and its Energy and Environment Subcommittee.
Cap and Trade: Swallow That Term
Democrats are getting their talking points in order as the climate change debate heats up this week.
On Monday, pollster Mark Mellman briefed Democratic press aides in the House on the most politically savvy ways to talk about climate change. The briefing aimed to prepare the press secretaries for the crush of coverage expected this week, after Energy and Commerce
Committee Chairman Henry Waxman unveils his complex climate and energy bill.
The meeting, a weekly confab for House press secretaries, was one of the most well-attended since January, according to one participant.
The phrase "clean energy jobs" is the best way to explain the benefits of climate change legislation, according to polling presented in PowerPoint by Mellman.
Using "cap and trade" to describe the legislation - which creates an auction market for carbon emissions - is a mistake, because voters find the term confusing. Also to be avoided is "green jobs," a phrase popular with environmentalists to describe careers in renewable energy,
energy efficiency and other types of sustainable technologies. Voters think the term describes white-collar jobs for highly educated professors, according to Democratic aides at the meeting.
A Rasmussen poll released on Monday found that just 24 percent of voters correctly identified the cap-and-trade proposal as dealing with environmental issues. Slightly more - 29 percent - thought the term was about regulating Wall Street, and 17 percent thought it had to do with
health care reform. Thirty percent had no idea.
© 2009 Capitol News Company, LLC
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Dallas Morning News supports Waxman-Markey
On Friday, the Dallas Morning News came out in support of the Waxman-Markey bill, but correctly notes that it is far from ideal. As the Morning News notes, it is a "start in the right direction," but despite possible passage, Congress would be "not yet near the finish line." To further quote the editorial, "The time for talk is over, and Congress owes it to our future to pass a better-balanced energy bill this year."
The editorial is surprisingly strong on details, so it's a helpful primer. It does not, however, provide explicit support for the international adaptation provisions of Waxman-Markey. These are vital provisions. Think of adaptation as cultural infrastructure; without systems in place to use new technologies and funding in manners that are efficient and respect the rights of the underprivileged, Waxman-Markey would be simply a hollow measure. In other respects, however, the editorial deserves praise.
The entire editorial is available at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-waxman_0511edi.State.Edition1.203c342.html
The editorial is surprisingly strong on details, so it's a helpful primer. It does not, however, provide explicit support for the international adaptation provisions of Waxman-Markey. These are vital provisions. Think of adaptation as cultural infrastructure; without systems in place to use new technologies and funding in manners that are efficient and respect the rights of the underprivileged, Waxman-Markey would be simply a hollow measure. In other respects, however, the editorial deserves praise.
The entire editorial is available at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-waxman_0511edi.State.Edition1.203c342.html
Welcome!
Welcome to the New Mexico Oxfam America Action Corps weblog! Here you will find the most up-to-date news and information regarding current efforts to address climate change, as well as Oxfam America's events and calls to action here in New Mexico.
Oxfam America is raising awareness about the impact climate change has on the underprivileged. Climate change exacerbates current inequalities and poses a significant threat to stability and security throughtout the world. Oxfam America is currently mobilizing groups across the country to promote positive legislation addressing climate change immediately. Currently, the House of Representatives is considering the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (the "ACES Act" or sometimes called "Waxman-Markey" for shorthand), and we are monitoring the developments.
We hope this web log provides you with the information you need to be fully informed. Further, we hope the news, stories and comments on this site will inspire you to make a difference.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to post them and they will be addressed as soon as possible. Further, you are always welcome to email the local Action Corps Organizers, Amy Walkowiak and Mark Pustay, at nmoxfamactioncorps@gmail.com.
Again, welcome!
Oxfam America is raising awareness about the impact climate change has on the underprivileged. Climate change exacerbates current inequalities and poses a significant threat to stability and security throughtout the world. Oxfam America is currently mobilizing groups across the country to promote positive legislation addressing climate change immediately. Currently, the House of Representatives is considering the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (the "ACES Act" or sometimes called "Waxman-Markey" for shorthand), and we are monitoring the developments.
We hope this web log provides you with the information you need to be fully informed. Further, we hope the news, stories and comments on this site will inspire you to make a difference.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to post them and they will be addressed as soon as possible. Further, you are always welcome to email the local Action Corps Organizers, Amy Walkowiak and Mark Pustay, at nmoxfamactioncorps@gmail.com.
Again, welcome!
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