Earth Day Presentation
Professor Henry Schissler
THE FOUNDING OF EARTH DAY
Gaylord Nelson, who was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995, founded Earth Day to be celebrated on April 22 every year. The reason for choosing the April 22nd date remains unclear. Most people believe that it has to do with the annual Arbor Day celebration that takes place around the same time.
The first Earth Day event was a teach-in on April 22, 1970. It dealt with environmental issues as well as opposition to the Vietnam War.
Many laws were passed in the shadow of the first Earth Day, including the Clean Air Act, laws that protect the oceans, and clean drinking water, as well as the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
KEY ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS IN AMERICA
The Sierra Club (1892)
The Sierra Club's members are more than 750,000 of your friends and neighbors. Inspired by nature, we work together to protect our communities and the planet. The Club is America's oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization." --- from the Sierra Club website
National Wildlife Federation
"National Wildlife Federation inspires Americans to protect wildlife for our children's future." four million members in 47 states, with conservation, education and public service programs to protect all forms of wildlife, from national parks and natural resources to all manner of animals, fish and bird.”
The Nature Conservancy
“The mission of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and its 4 million members is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by using science-based programs to protect the lands and waters they need to survive. TNC is a major organizer and sponsor of Earth Day.”
Some Key Environmental Causes
• Global Warming
• Clean Air (increasing asthma rates)
• Clean Water
• More Recycling Projects (including Water Bottles)
• Alternative Energy Sources
• Increased Funding for Public Transportation Systems
• Fuel Efficient Automobiles (but the Bush Administration Blocked California, Connecticut & Other States from Passing Laws Requiring Higher Miles Per Gallon Rates for Cars)
• No Return to Nuclear Power Plants or Coal (Both Supported by Bush)
• “Green” Buildings & Homes: Increased use of Solar Energy, Garden Composting; Decreased Use of Pesticides, Non-Organic Fertilizers, Etc.
SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE
It is our responsibility to protect America's extraordinary natural resources. The health of our families and the strength of our economy depend on our stewardship of the environment. Farming, fishing, tourism, and other industries require a healthy environment.
• We must reject the assertion that we must choice between a healthy economy and a healthy environment. New technologies that protect the environment will create new high-paying jobs.
• A cleaner environment means a stronger economy. Far too many Americans live with unhealthy air or water quality. We must strengthen and enforce the laws that ensure we have clean air to breathe and clean water to drink
• We must commit to the next generation of affordable and renewable energy and to conservation measures that will immediately reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Energy independence aims to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil by developing alternative energy sources and technologies and encouraging energy efficiencies.
• We must eliminate billions in subsidies for oil and gas companies and use the savings to provide consumer relief from higher gas and fuel costs, which also drives up costs for food and other consumer products
• Energy independence puts America in the driver's seat to pursue affordable and efficient energy solutions that will benefit all Americans, improve America's security, reduce the burden on American families, and help clean our environment.
(1) Cut Oil Demand: 50% by 2020
That means reducing oil imports from around 65% to 10-15%. We can do this in part by getting the 100 mile per gallon (mpg) car into the marketplace. We must work to double the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, or CAFE, to 50 mpg by 2020. And we will set a life-cycle low-carbon fuel standard that reduces the carbon impact of our liquid fuels by 30% by 2020.
(2) New Efficiencies, Energy Sources in Electrical Sector: 50% by 2040
We must call for a national renewable portfolio standard of 30% by 2020 that will rise to 50% by 2040. This is aggressive, but necessary as we start using more electricity for automobiles. We must push for an energy productivity law requiring a 20% improvement in energy productivity by 2020. We could save customers $21 billion a year by 2020.
(3) Dramatically Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions: 90% by 2050
20% by 2020, 80% by 2040 -- ten years faster than scientists say is necessary because we must lead the world, and we can't afford the possibility of backsliding and inaction. We will start with a market-based cap and trade system for greenhouse gas emissions to create incentives for the electric and industrial sectors to make significant reductions in their carbon emissions. Economists say the world can protect itself from drastic climate change at a cost of 1-3% of our economic activity. We can afford to protect the climate. Given the risks of catastrophic climate change, we can't afford not to do it.
(4) Lead By Example, Restore America as the World's Leader
We must return to the international negotiating table and support mandatory world-wide limits on global warming pollution. We will work closely with fast-growing nations, and cooperate with the European Union, the World Bank, and other allies to help finance the incremental cost of "doing it right." We must create a North American Energy Council with Mexico and Canada, which supply about 20% of our oil, and make sure our relations with these neighbors are firm and friendly. As we reduce our demand for foreign oil, we should work with the Persian Gulf nations and our partners at the UN, to create a multilateral system for protecting the Persian Gulf so that within ten years, the U.S. presence there could be sharply and safely reduced.
(5) Get It All Done Without Breaking the Bank
We will raise some revenue, from the sales of carbon permits, for example. Further, We must get out the "green scissors" to cut back on wrongly-placed tax subsidies. Over time, this program will yield huge productivity increases in our economy, as well as significant budget savings and revenues. We will create more than ten times as much value in the American economy by reducing our oil imports as we spend to make this program happen.
(6) Invite the Oil Companies to Become Energy Companies
People love to hate the oil companies. They have been raking in huge profits. But we must work with them and encourage them to become energy companies, and invest in our thriving new energy economy. They are invited to the table, but they aren't going to run the table any more.
(7) The Bottom Line...
Americans need energy to get to work; we need heat and electricity in our homes, schools and workplaces. We are hurt by unpredictable energy price cycles, and by our nation's energy policy failures. The way out of the cycle is to create competition, to support energy productivity, new technologies and alternative fuels. And everyone -- every American -- must make an effort to make us energy independent and combat global warming. Our national security and our planet depend on it. It's about creating a new energy economy here in the United States, and doing it quickly, with broad, bold strokes. It's the way to a bright, strong, prosperous future for the United States -- and for the world.
Specific Environmental Strategies Are Excerpted From New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson’s “Plan For An Energy Revolution”
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