Annapolis: A coalition of environmental groups held a
rally in front of the Maryland State House today, delivering thousands of
petition signatures to Gov. O’Malley urging his administration and the Maryland
Commission on Climate Change to commit to science-based reductions in global
warming pollution. An oversized hourglass next to the podium highlighted the
groups’ message: “the time to commit is now.”
The Alliance for Global Warming Solutions, a coalition of
environmental groups that includes Environment Maryland, Chesapeake Climate
Action Network, and the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, has collected more
than 5,000 signatures calling on Gov. O’Malley to cut global warming pollution 20
percent by the year 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. These are the reductions scientists
say is necessary to avoid the worst consequences of global warming.
Environment
Maryland State
Director Brad Heavner said: “The question should not be how much do we do, it
should be how do we do as much as the scientists tell us we need to do.”
Environment Maryland recently
published a report detailing ways to reduce global warming pollution.
Tad
Aburn, director of the air division of the Maryland Department of the
Environment, accepted the petitions on behalf of the administration. He told
the crowd that the governor is committed to setting aggressive targets for
reducing pollution, and is pressing the commission to come up with real
recommendations for legislative action in the next legislative session.
“With every passing minute and turn of this hourglass,
350,000 pounds of carbon dioxide pollution is emitted in Maryland,”
said Claire Douglass of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “With every
passing minute, Maryland
contributes to the growing crisis of global warming. By the time this event
concludes, we will have added 10.5 million pounds of pollution.”
Dawn Stoltzfus, of the
Maryland League of Conservation Voters, noted that polls show global warming is
the number one environmental concern for voters. Ms. Stoltzfus said: “People
know that global warming is real and they expect their leaders to do something
about it. That’s why we’re here today. Our message to the Climate Commission
and Governor O’Malley is clear: we support you and you’re on the right track --
it’s time to move from study to action.”
The letter, signed by more than 5,000 Marylanders and
delivered to the Governor today, reads:
Gov. O’Malley and
Commission Members -
I am glad to know that
the Commission on Climate Change is working on a plan for Maryland to reduce global warming pollution – but we
need to move from study to action right away.
I urge you to make a
commitment to science-based reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists
agree that we need to reduce emissions by 20 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by
2050 in order to avoid the worst impacts of global warming.
The State of Maryland should make a firm
commitment to those levels of reductions, then get to work designing effective
programs to meet our commitment.
