Global Warming Solutions News

With heightened public awareness of the growing threat from global warming and its potential to drastically alter Wisconsin’s climate, environmental groups today focused their attention on solutions.  In a teleconference, the non-partisan environmental advocacy organization Wisconsin Environment released a new report, A Blueprint for Action: Policy Options to Reduce Wisconsin’s Contribution to Global Warming and called on the state Legislature to pass the Wisconsin Safe Climate Act (SB81/AB157), a science-based global warming bill.

“Given our understanding of the problem, and the magnitude of the threat to Wisconsin’s environment, it’s time we get serious about solutions,” said Dan Kohler, Wisconsin Environment Director and co-author of the report.  “Fortunately, Wisconsin is uniquely positioned to address global warming and benefit by harnessing more homegrown, clean energy from wind and biofuels, and by improving efficiency measures to save energy and save consumers money.”

A Blueprint for Action outlines a plan Wisconsin can use to reduce carbon emissions, the main greenhouse gas, to 1990 levels by 2020, a 30% reduction from projected levels.   

The most critical aspects of the plan include:

·         Establishing an economy-wide cap on global warming emissions, while harnessing market forces to reduce emissions through a credit trading program, known as “cap and trade”;

·         Promoting renewable energy by strengthening the existing renewable electricity standard to require 20 percent of our electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020, doubling the current standard of 10% renewable energy by 2015;

·         Establishing a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants and meeting new energy demand through clean renewable sources or efficiency;

·         Reducing emissions from the transportation sector by adopting the California Clean Cars Program as well as a low-carbon fuel standard;

·         Reducing energy consumption by strengthening energy efficiency programs, improving building codes and adopting appliance efficiency standards.

“This report illustrates that solutions are here and now,” explained Jennifer Feyerherm with Sierra Club’s Wisconsin Clean Energy Campaign.  “Across Wisconsin, we are seeing less global warming pollution as well as less soot, smog, and mercury pollution as coal plants clean up their act, people switch to renewable sources of energy, and we invest in energy efficient technology.  If we keep at it, our new clean energy economy can create over 35,000 new, family-supporting jobs.”

In his State of the State address, Governor Doyle called for several measures to promote renewable energy and bio-fuels.  Reacting to these initiatives, Kohler said they are in line with the recommendations laid out in the report.  

“Governor Doyle continues to provide important leadership to help move us to a new energy future,” said Kohler.  “In addition to these initiatives, to meet the challenge of global warming, we need to cap global warming emissions, and begin to significantly reduce them in the next 5-10 years.  Making that commitment will drive innovation and investment in cutting edge renewable energy and efficiency technologies.”

Wisconsin Environment and the Sierra Club called on the state Legislature to adopt the Wisconsin Safe Climate Act (SB81/AB157), which would establish a commitment to reduce global warming emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.  Several other states including Minnesota, California, New Jersey and Hawaii have adopted similar legislation.   The bill, authored by Senator Mark Miller (Monona) has passed out of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and awaits further action.

“Obviously, we are all concerned about global warming,” continued Kohler. “The question is: what do we need to do to address it and how challenging will it be? The Blueprint for Action report shows that we can meet this challenge in Wisconsin by building on current policies and strengthening our commitment to renewable energy and efficiency measures. The key is to get started now.”

A statewide poll of Wisconsin voters found overwhelming support across party lines for state-level action to address global warming. The poll found that 84% of likely Wisconsin voters favor action by the State of Wisconsin to reduce emissions, like carbon dioxide, that lead to global warming. The Potawatomi poll of 600 likely Wisconsin general election voters was conducted July 26-29, 2007 by the Mellman Group, Inc. and has a margin of error of +/- 4.0%.

We look forward to working with all members of the Legislature and the Governor’s office for global warming solutions.

Read the full report.