Climate Change Talking Points

Climate change is one of the most pressing concerns facing today’s world. It will impact communities across the country and around the world for years to come as glaciers melt, hurricanes become more severe, and warmer temperatures allow disease-carrying insects to live longer. Talking about climate change means talking about pollution and ozone, emissions and forestry, and energy and sustainability. It may seem daunting, but as engaged citizens, we can make a difference in the effects of climate change.

The United States, which represents only 4% of the world’s population, is responsible for emitting 25% of the world’s greenhouse gases. But if the U.S. embraces a set of smart and farsighted policies that emphasize new technologies, international cooperation, and a serious commitment to renewable energy, we can preserve a stable climate for future generations.

Success Stories

• Negotiated in 1997 and ratified in 2005, the Kyoto Protocol has unified 163 countries under the goal of reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Bringing these countries together on such a far-reaching global issue has been a major success for the United Nations, which sponsored the agreement under the Convention on Climate Change. Unfortunately, the U.S. has not agreed to ratify the Protocol.

• Mayors from around the world came together to sign the Urban Environmental Accords (UEA) in San Francisco June 2005, an agreement that calls for long-term urban sustainability in seven categories. The move signaled a willingness of local communities to be responsible for the future of the environment, and complimented the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement (MCPA) (see below). Has your mayor signed on?

• Greg Nickels was frustrated by the United States’ inaction on the Kyoto Protocol and decided to take action on his own. Coincidentally, Greg Nickels is the mayor of Seattle. And in 2004, he drafted the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement—the United States’ own, local version of the Kyoto Protocol. And then something happened. People began to talk about this visionary step toward environmental protection and the word got out. Even if the U.S. government wouldn’t sign on to the global plan to cut emissions, local communities could. Since 2005, citizens have been the strongest advocates for the MCPA, and 227 American cities have signed on to its principles. From Portland to Minneapolis to Atlanta. Finding out if your city or town has signed on is easy. If it hasn’t, don’t you think it’s time you talk to your mayor?

• In Salt Lake City, in efforts to reduce its emissions below 1990 levels (the city has signed on to two different environmental treaties in the last year), the city has made great strides in reducing its emissions and its energy use. The city has replaced luminescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, saving $33,000 and reducing gas emissions. The city has taken some of that savings and invested in wind energy, cutting down on the use of coal-burning plants. And the city has established a program for E2 local businesses—that is, economically and environmentally sustainable business. Mayor Rocky Anderson believes that local incentives for environmentally friendly actions will begin to change actions and behaviors that pollute.