Mitigating Global Warming
(Prepared by Teresa Keane)

The Green Party of the United States believes that Global Warming is the greatest threat facing planet Earth.  In 2005, The Journal of Science analyzed 928 peer-reviewed scientific papers on global warming published between 1993 and 2003. Not one article challenged the scientific consensus that the Earth’s temperature is rising due to human activity.

On February 2, 2007 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its fourth assessment since 1990 on the causes and consequences of global warming.  The group concluded with greater than 90% confidence that the current increase in greenhouse gases is caused by human behavior.  Scientists agree that the impacts of climate change are under way and future predictions are alarming.  Most scientists predict a 2 degree rise in temperature regardless of any actions we take. If we don’t stabilize emissions an increase up to 6.4 degrees is possible. Although the effects are variable among various Earth locations, these changes are already affecting every corner of the globe and include changes to land, ocean, and weather.  For a complete copy of the report, please refer to www.ipcc.ch.

2006 was the fifth warmest year on record globally, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  Climate researchers agree our predicament can be broken down to a simple equation:  increased CO2 = warmer world = less ice = higher seas.  CO2 traps heat that leads to shifts in climate and acidification of the ocean.

According to the IPCC, at least nine pivotal studies illustrate the human cause of our alarming climate predicament.  These studies show:

• The pattern of warming that is currently being documented is markedly different from the historical pattern of “normal” variations in climate.
• The extreme weather events including more intense rain and snowfalls, more winter precipitation, more droughts, floods, and heat waves are “consistent with the general trends anticipated from a greenhouse-enhanced atmosphere”.
• The increase in carbon dioxide emission since post-WWII industrialization has altered the normal patterns of seasonal change.
• Night-time and winter-time low temperatures are rising nearly twice as fast as the daytime and summer-time high temperatures.  This is linked to greenhouse gases trapping the heat radiating off the Earth’s surface.  In natural conditions the high and low temperature changes would be parallel.
• The measurements for the six hottest years out of the last ten can be traced to carbon dioxide emissions instead of previous natural causes such as volcanic eruptions.
• The slight but steady cooling trend on planet Earth from 1000 to about 1880 was abruptly reversed as temperatures began to rise rapidly with industrialization and the burning of oil and coal.
• After a careful analysis of climate data from 1900 to 1999, a group of university-based scientists concluded that “we can put to rest the idea that recent climate warming is just a freak of nature".
• A body of data shows that only 25 percent of the warming since 1900 can be attributed to natural causes.  The rest can be attributed to human influences, such as rising levels of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping "greenhouse gases" that come from the burning of fuels and forests.

Humans released 18 billion tons of greenhouse gases in 2006 and the United States, while containing 5% of the world’s population, continues to be one of the two largest contributors of the world’s emissions. China caught up with the US in 2007. The US produces emissions equal to Brazil, UK, Russia, India, South Korea and Canada combined.

In the face of mounting scientific evidence, the Bush administration continues to downplay the responsibility of the United States.

The urgency of tackling this issue becomes increasingly apparent with each new study. 

Solutions

The Green Party of the United States supports strategies to mitigate Global Warming through enhanced carbon sinks and reduction of emissions.

Many leading economists have detailed strategies to confront the global warming problem through conservation, energy efficiency, development of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, and the reallocation of funds for mass transit infrastructure, all of which could deter climate damage and create millions of new family-wage jobs. Vital steps include:

• Require end-user efficiency and conservation
• Build a safe, clean renewable energy future
• Eliminate building of any new coal fired plants
• Recognize that nuclear power is not a viable option
• Stop all deforestation
• Stabilize and then reduce human population
• Raise Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards to 60 mpg

We must create, support, and improve a properly financed public-private global transition to high-efficiency and renewable-energy technologies that hold the promise of an unprecedented worldwide economic boom while preserving the environment and containing the Global Warming crisis.

Confronting the challenge of global warming can help our nation heal some vexing social inequities such as homelessness, unemployment, and low-wage jobs.  By building a new energy infrastructure we can provide a clean sustainable future, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and live as peaceful citizens in the world community

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