|
Vol. 151 |
WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2005 |
No. 83 |
Senate
Statement of
Senator Dianne Feinstein
"In Support of the McCain-Lieberman Amendment on Climate Change”
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version
Mrs. FEINSTEIN: Mr. President, I rise to say thank you to both Senator Lieberman and Senator McCain for giving this Senate the first real start to reduce global warming. I was one who voted for the Hagel amendment, but I did so realizing it really had very little bang for the buck. This is the first real global warming bill this body will come to grips with. I think it is extraordinarily important.
In real terms, passage of this bill would mean that instead of having 8 billion tons of greenhouse gases emitted into the air in 2010, as would be the case if we do not pass the amendment, we will emit slightly less than 6 billion tons in 2010. That means this amendment would reduce emissions by almost 2 billion tons, or 25 percent, by the end of the decade.
In order to achieve the goal, the amendment would implement a market-based emissions cap and trade system. Currently, the United States is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. We account for one-fourth of all global greenhouse gas emissions.
In a single year, the average American produces the same greenhouse gas emissions as 4.5 people in Mexico or 18 people in India or 99 people in Bangladesh .
In the past 200 years, since the Industrial Revolution, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere has risen by roughly 30 percent. If we do nothing to reduce these emissions, CO2 levels are estimated to again rise by 30 percent in only the next 50 years.
Here it is on the chart. You see, as temperature rises, global warming takes place, and carbon dioxide emissions increase.
The hottest year on record is 1998, followed by a tie for the second hottest year between 2002 and 2003.
Let me say what the National Academy of Sciences has reported. Let me just briefly quote: Since the 1900s global average temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration have increased dramatically, particularly compared to their levels in the 900 preceding years.
Carbon dioxide is the No. 1 global warming gas. We have already begun to see, as both Senators McCain and Lieberman have said, the real impacts of global warming.
Glaciers are beginning to disappear throughout the United States and around the world at a rapid rate. This chart demonstrates the rapid loss of the South Cascade Glaciers in Washington State . In addition, it is predicted that all the glaciers in Glacier National Park in Montana will be gone by 2030.
Here on the chart, you can see the South Glacier. In 1928, you could see the full glacier. Then, this is what you saw in 1979. And you can see that in 2003 it was just about one-half of what it was.
Since 1979, more than 20 percent of the polar ice cap has melted away due to the increase of global temperatures. Senator Lieberman mentioned that in his speech, but I think this chart shows it dramatically. This line indicates the Arctic sea ice boundary in 1979. You can see how large it was. And you see more than 20 percent of the polar ice cap has already melted away. That is disastrous because the top of the planet is more impacted than the bottom of the planet.
Now, this is forcing Eskimos in Alaska to move inland. My husband just visited an Eskimo village. They were preparing to move their village because it was being inundated by the ocean.
Over the last century, the global sea level has risen by 6 inches. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that by the next century, the global sea level will rise even higher to anywhere from 4 inches to 3 feet. That is enormous when you look at these changes.
Let me just speak for a moment about my State. Since 1900, California has warmed by 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Annual precipitation has decreased over much of the State -- by 10 to 25 percent in many areas. The EPA estimates that the temperature in California could rise by as much as 5 degrees by the end of this century if the current global warming trends continue.
That increase is going to have a drastic impact on many facets of California life -- water, for one. As the largest agricultural State in the Union , we need it to farm and grow our crops. We need water to keep the ecosystem in balance, and we need water for 37.5 million people to drink, to wash, and to water crops and plants.
The Sierra Nevada snowpack is the largest source of water. The snowpack equals about half the storage capacity of all of California's man-made reservoirs. It is estimated that by the end of the century, the shrinking of the snowpack will eliminate the water source for 16 million people. That is equal to all of the people in the Los Angeles Basin . That is how big this is.
What this chart shows is, if we take strong action to curb greenhouse gas emissions, 27 percent of the snowpack will remain in the Sierras; strong action will only protect 27 percent. If we do nothing to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, only 11 percent of the Sierra Nevada snowpack will be left by the end of the century. You clearly see it. That is Armageddon for California. That is Armageddon for the fifth largest economy on Earth.
Now, we have already begun to see a decline in the Sierra Nevada snowpack due to warmer winter storms that bring more rain than snow and also cause a premature melting of the snowpack. If just a third of the snowpack is lost, it would mean losing enough water to serve 8 million households. So you can see how big this is. That is why this bill is so important -- the first bill that actually does something about it.
Let me talk for just a second about our wine industry. It is recognized throughout the world. It is a $45 billion industry in sales, jobs, tourism, and tax revenue.
Grown throughout the State, wine grapes are sensitive to temperature and moisture. It is predicted that by the end of the century, grapes will ripen up to 2 months earlier and will be of poorer quality. The result is a decline for California's premier wine industry.
Let me talk about dairy. We are the largest dairy-producing State in the Union, much to the chagrin of my distinguished colleague from Wisconsin. Studies indicate that due to increased temperatures, our milk production could be reduced anywhere from 5 to 20 percent. This would not only have a drastic impact on California's agriculture industry, but it would also affect other States that rely on California to provide milk and other dairy products.
Beaches and coastlines -- we are known for them. When most people think of California , they think about our beaches. The rising sea level, due to global warming, is slowly swallowing these beaches and eroding the coastline.
Over the last century, the sea level has risen 3 to 8 inches. Scientists predict it will continue to rise an additional 13 to 19 inches by the end of this century. This will force municipalities to replenish land on beaches stretching from Santa Barbara to San Diego. The EPA says this could cost from $174 million to $3.5 billion.
Global warming is California's No. 1 environmental problem.
Now, let me talk for a moment about what cities are doing. Cities are not waiting for us. Cities are moving. Members of the United States Conference of Mayors unanimously passed a resolution earlier this month that requires their member cities to attempt to meet or exceed emissions standards set by Kyoto.
They have agreed to try to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets in various communities around the Nation. They have agreed to urge their State governments and the Federal Government to enact policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and they have agreed to urge us to pass the McCain-Lieberman bill. So far, 167 cities have signed up to enforce the Kyoto requirements.
Nearly 40 States, to date, have developed their own climate plans. Four-fifths of the United States is moving on its own because we are so slow to act.
An emission trading system is emerging in the Northeast that will require large power plants from Maine to Delaware to reduce their carbon emissions.
Eighteen States and the District of Columbia have enacted standards to require that electricity be generated with renewable fuels rather than fossil fuels. These States include California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Wisconsin.
The point is, our States are moving. Why are we so bloody slow? California has enacted legislation that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicle tailpipes. It is expected that the Northeastern States and Canada will also follow California's lead.
Yet, without concerted Federal action, the United States will not be able to achieve real, significant greenhouse gas reductions. If Members of the U.S. Senate agree with the science, if they agree with virtually all of the literature to date, if they look out and study the weather and they see the changes, if they see the fluctuation in weather patterns, the aberrant behavior of weather, they will come to the conclusion that global warming is real. It is real, and we now have the first bill to do something positive about it, and that is the Lieberman-McCain legislation.
I believe all of California supports it. I am proud to support it. I urge its passage to this distinguished body.