2008.01.02: January 2, 2008: Headlines: Figures: COS - India: NGO's: Sierra Club: Environment: The Mountain Mail: Carl Pope writes: 2007 was green; let's make 2008 greener

Peace Corps Online: Directory: India: Special Report: India RPCV and Sierra Club Director Carl Pope: February 9, 2005: Index: PCOL Exclusive: RPCV Carl Pope (India) : 2008.01.02: January 2, 2008: Headlines: Figures: COS - India: NGO's: Sierra Club: Environment: The Mountain Mail: Carl Pope writes: 2007 was green; let's make 2008 greener

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-141-157-18-99.balt.east.verizon.net - 141.157.18.99) on Saturday, January 12, 2008 - 1:24 pm: Edit Post

Carl Pope writes: 2007 was green; let's make 2008 greener

Carl Pope writes: 2007 was green; let's make 2008 greener

"We celebrated passage of the first increase in miles-per-gallon standards in 32 years as part of an historic energy bill which is the start of a cleaner, greener energy future for America. Recognizing the contribution of coal to global warming emissions, states throughout the country are beginning to say no to new coal-fired power plants - 56 in 2007 - and instead focus on investments attracting clean energy and jobs at the same time. " Sierra Club President Carl Pope served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in India in the 1960's.

Carl Pope writes: 2007 was green; let's make 2008 greener

2007 was green; let's make 2008 greener
Guest Opinion

by Carl Pope

All in all, 2007 was an unprecedented year for Americans who care about what happens to our environment.

It seemed as if our leaders and the media finally woke up to realities of global warming - and now it's time to start doing something about it.

It feels unmistakably as though the tide is turning and lawmakers are beginning to catch up with the majority of Americans who want to move toward a more sustainable energy economy and reestablish the United States as a global environmental leader.

We celebrated passage of the first increase in miles-per-gallon standards in 32 years as part of an historic energy bill which is the start of a cleaner, greener energy future for America. Recognizing the contribution of coal to global warming emissions, states throughout the country are beginning to say no to new coal-fired power plants - 56 in 2007 - and instead focus on investments attracting clean energy and jobs at the same time.

Court victories underscored the urgent need for action on global warming and rebuked those standing in the way.

The series of victories began in the Supreme Court in the spring where Justices told the Bush administration it was time to recognize global warming emissions as pollution and continued with key wins where the auto industry unsuccessfully tried to stop California and 16 other states from adopting tougher clean car standards.

Brave survivors of Hurricane Katrina testified before Congress about their experiences with the Federal Emergency Management Agency as it continued to house thousands of disaster victims in trailers containing dangerous levels of cancer-causing formaldehyde.

The Sierra Club is proud of work exposing past failures of the Consumer Products Safety Commission to adequately warn citizens of dangers posed by exposure to toxic lead in toys and other products.

With so much about the environment in the news, the year saw a rise in the trend of "green" choices. Living a more environmentally-conscious life is now hugely popular as the public grapples with ways to reduce its carbon footprint and impact on the environment.

Victories are monumental, but now isn't the time to rest on our laurels. Summer 2007 brought record melt to the Arctic ice cap, with sea ice coverage in September 38 percent below average and 24 percent below the previous record minimum set in 2005.

There is much to be done in 2008. Fighting global warming remains top priority.

Congress will debate how to fight global warming, how much to increase our use of renewable sources of electricity and whether to protect thousands of streams, wetlands and other drinking water sources from development.

The government will decide whether to list the polar bear as "threatened" as its habitat melts away.

Of course the biggest environmental story of 2008 will be the elections. The president we elect in 2008 will have an impact on how America meets the challenge of warming that will be felt for decades to come.

Citizens will have the choice of halting this year's momentum, or building on 2007 progress toward a clean energy future and a safer, cleaner world we can leave for future generations of Americans.

We can also expect outdated polluting industries of the past like coal and oil to continue to spend millions of dollars trying to get in the way of America's clean energy future. Their expensive lobbying and public relations campaigns will be tough to counter, but we believe the shades have been removed from the eyes of the public - the people understand they don't have to settle for more mining, drilling and burning of fossil fuels.

The technology exists to provide us with energy we want, jobs we need and clean environment our children will depend upon.

Carl Pope is executive director of Sierra Club which claims to be the oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization in America. Column distributed by minutemanmedia.org.




Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: January, 2008; RPCV Carl Pope (India); Figures; Peace Corps India; Directory of India RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for India RPCVs; NGO's; Environment





When this story was posted in January 2008, this was on the front page of PCOL:


Contact PCOLBulletin BoardRegisterSearch PCOLWhat's New?

Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers RSS Feed
Dodd vows to filibuster Surveillance Act Date: October 27 2007 No: 1206 Dodd vows to filibuster Surveillance Act
Senator Chris Dodd vowed to filibuster the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that would grant retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that helped this administration violate the civil liberties of Americans. "It is time to say: No more. No more trampling on our Constitution. No more excusing those who violate the rule of law. These are fundamental, basic, eternal principles. They have been around, some of them, for as long as the Magna Carta. They are enduring. What they are not is temporary. And what we do not do in a time where our country is at risk is abandon them."

Peace Corps News Peace Corps Library Peace corps History RPCV Directory Sign Up

Peace Corps Volunteers Remain Safe in Kenya Date: January 5 2008 No: 1218 Peace Corps Volunteers Remain Safe in Kenya
The U.S. Peace Corps has evacuated 35 of its volunteers from western Kenya because of the violence that has rocked the country since the disputed December 27 presidential election. The Peace Corps has 144 volunteers based in Kenya, although the organization says 22 of them are currently out of the country. An agency statement says the remaining volunteers have been consolidated in a variety of locations. Latest News: Peace Corps says volunteers in Kenya remain safe.

November 12, 2007: This Month's Top Stories Date: November 12 2007 No: 1210 November 12, 2007: This Month's Top Stories
Chris Dodd's service began with Peace Corps 9 Nov
Matthew McCue called back to Iraq from Peace Corps 9 Nov
Tschetter Visits Turkmenistan 9 Nov
Lara Weber writes: Oprah Winfrey's stumble 9 Nov
Heather Thompson works with P Diddy 7 Nov
Karen Hughes' public diplomacy came to nothing 4 Nov
James Rupert writes: Musharraf seizes power 3 Nov
Martin Puryear is Man of Mysteries 2 Nov
Sarah Chayes says Taliban score major victory 1 Nov
John Sullivan runs Sudan Divestment Task Force. 30 Oct
Tom Bissell writes: Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro 28 Oct
Chris Shays to seek 12th term 25 Oct
Helen Dudley can't stop giving 25 Oct
Joseph Acaba named to STS-119 Shuttle Crew 22 Oct
Vince Floriani in USA Today's All-USA Teacher Team 22 Oct
Kelly J. Morris writes "The Bight of Benin" 20 Oct
Charles Shelan was Buddhist monk Wondam’s teacher 19 Oct
Peace Corps returning to Liberia 18 Oct
David Peckham started Village Bicycle Project 16 Oct
Alberto Ibarguen announces grant for "Project Impunity" 15 Oct
Campbell Memorial Park boosts ecotourism 15 Oct
Bowers Family keep daughter's dream alive 15 Oct

What is the greatest threat facing us now?  Date: September 12 2007 No: 1195 What is the greatest threat facing us now?
"People will say it's terrorism. But are there any terrorists in the world who can change the American way of life or our political system? No. Can they knock down a building? Yes. Can they kill somebody? Yes. But can they change us? No. Only we can change ourselves. So what is the great threat we are facing? I would approach this differently, in almost Marshall-like terms. What are the great opportunities out there - ones that we can take advantage of?" Read more.



Read the stories and leave your comments.








Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

Story Source: The Mountain Mail

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - India; NGO's; Sierra Club; Environment

PCOL40284
28


Add a Message


This is a public posting area. Enter your username and password if you have an account. Otherwise, enter your full name as your username and leave the password blank. Your e-mail address is optional.
Username:  
Password:
E-mail: