Global Warming: Finally a Hot Issue on the Political Agenda

Despite Loss, McCain-Lieberman Bill Shows Global Warming Issue Gaining Momentum

Posted: 30-Oct-2003; Updated: 15-Aug-2007

The winds of change are blowing through Congress, and they're getting warmer. 

Global warming is finally a hot issue on the political agenda, and though the Senate this week rejected the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act, the business-friendly bill to curb heat-trapping gases, the loss isn't a disappointment. The 43-55 vote marks a seismic political change on the critical issue of global warming.

In pre-vote debate on the floor, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) spoke strongly about the environmental threat and the need for U.S. leadership on it: "It is a problem that is getting worse because we failed to attend to it. But what bothers me is this idea that somehow America -- the most innovative, creative nation the world has ever seen -- cannot cope with this problem. This defeatism, this pessimism, this fatalism that I hear from the opponents is fundamentally un-American."

The 43-55 bipartisan votes in support of mandatory caps show that the congressional leadership is recognizing the critical nature of climate change -- that if we do not act now, we are putting ourselves and our planet at great risk. (Click here to see how your Senators voted.) Environmental Defense President Fred Krupp said: "We're very happy about the vote in the United States Senate today. We got way more votes than we would have expected to get when we started this campaign. Senators on both sides of the aisle support action now. We're within reach of a having a majority in the United States Senate."

States Right Fed's Wrongs

The Climate Stewardship Act vote is just one battle in a monumental fight to protect our planet, and it shows that on the home front, the United States political establishment is beginning to recognize the importance of the issue. Action is already occurring on the state and regional level and gaining momentum. States such as Maine and New Hampshire put into place laws that require reduced greenhouse gas emissions. In the Northeast, ten states are banding together to develop a market-based approach to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. On the West Coast, the governors of California, Oregon and Washington have recently committed to a series of measures to cut greenhouse gas pollution. "All of these actions at the state level underscore the urgent need for strong, consistent federal action to control dangerous greenhouse gas pollution," said Jim Marston, director of state climate initiatives for Environmental Defense. (Click here to see what actions, if any, your state is taking.)

Mayors are also beginning to create climate-friendly policy. On October 26, 155 mayors from across the nation issued a bipartisan statement about the importance of addressing global warming to ensure energy security and international leadership. The "Mayors' Statement on Global Warming" urges federal action to complement their local initiatives to reduce the threat of climate change.

Not Business As Usual

And even some major players in corporate America are putting global warming on the agenda. In February Steven Willis of Whirlpool Corp. succinctly stated, "Aren't we trying to protect the global environment? Doesn't that really mean we're going to have to make absolute changes? I think we're going to have to suck it up and do what needs to be done." And this summer, FedEx and Environmental Defense announced the plan to incorporate a new fleet of delivery trucks that cut emissions of greenhouse gases by 33%. What's more, the new hybrid electric trucks will go 50% further on the same gallon of fuel.

The public also wants to tackle the problem of global warming. According to a recent Gallup Poll, 75% of Americans favor mandatory controls on greenhouse gas pollution.

The issue is gaining momentum, and Thursday's vote is the latest victory in the move toward taking definitive action on global warming.

Find Out More

 Complete Congressional Record Transcript of First Day Floor Debate on the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act [PDF] - Features Senators Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), John McCain (R-AZ), James Inhofe (R-OK), Christopher Bond (R-MO), George Voinovich (R-OH), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Robert Bennett (R-UT), and Jon Kyl (R-AZ). (213kB pdf)
 Excerpts from Sen. Hillary Clinton's Floor Speech (10/29/03)
 Audio: Environmental Defense President Fred Krupp Responds to Senate Vote (Real Player required)
 Press Release: Climate Vote Spotlights Growing Environmental Coalition (10/30/03)
 Take Action! Join nearly a quarter million citizen co-sponsors of the Climate Stewardship Act and keep the Senate's feet to the fire on global warming by signing our petition!
For more on how you can help undo global warming explore www.undoit.org.