Climate Security Act of 2008 - Motion to Proceed - Continued
Floor Speech
CLIMATE SECURITY ACT OF 2008--MOTION TO PROCEED--Continued -- (Senate - June 03, 2008)
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Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, before I begin my remarks on this global warming legislation, I did want to say one word about gas prices, which are impacting my State of Vermont very heavily because workers in Vermont have to travel long distances to work, and the weather gets very cold and we spend a lot of money on home heating oil.
What I say to my Republican friends is I am glad to hear they are concerned about these soaring oil and gas prices. In the coming days we are going to give them an opportunity to stand up to the big oil companies who are enjoying record-breaking profits as they rip off the American people. We are going to give our Republican colleagues the opportunity to stand up to the speculators who many experts believe are driving up the price of oil by 25 to 50 percent. And we are going to give them the opportunity to join with us to stand up to those people who are causing oil prices to be so high and are causing so many problems all over this country as a result. We look forward to working with them on that issue.
As a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I want to say a few words in congratulating Senator Boxer, Senator Lieberman, and Senator Warner, and all of those who worked so hard to bring this historic legislation to the floor. This is a very important start in addressing one of the great crises facing our planet. But in my view, and I think in the view of many people in the scientific community, if we are going to respond in a serious way to what the best evidence out there is telling us, this bill must be strengthened in a number of ways.
In the short time I have now, I wish to focus on four simple points. No. 1, what are the most knowledgable scientists in the world telling us about global warming and what will happen if we do not act boldly? No. 2, how can we reverse global warming through an aggressive path of energy efficiency and renewable energy? No. 3, how can transforming our energy system create millions of good-paying jobs here in the United States? And, No. 4, I want to mention some of the amendments I will be offering to strengthen the bill.
Let me begin by mentioning that the International Panel on Climate Change, the IPCC, is made up of more than 2,500 scientific expert reviewers, some 800 contributing authors, and in excess of 450 lead authors representing 130 countries. Collectively, this group, the entire team, was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last December. Let me very briefly summarize the findings of the IPCC, and let me state very clearly that this, their work, constitutes the overwhelming position of the scientific community. That is why they received the Nobel Peace Prize. This is what they said.
Warming of the climate system is unequivocal. With 90 percent certainty, most of the warming in the past 50 years is due to human activity. Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are higher than they have been in over the last 650,000 years. Eleven of the twelve years between 1995 and 2006 rank among the 12 warmest years since we have been keeping records--meaning since 1850. Without a major change, by 2100, temperatures will likely increase between 3 and 7 degrees Fahrenheit. Further, with 90 percent certainty scientists expect that hot extremes, heat waves, and heavy precipitation events will continue to become more frequent, and the higher the temperatures become, the worse the effects of global warming will become. That is what the scientific community is telling us. There is not a lot of debate within the scientific community on these issues.
But what does unchecked global warming actually mean for ordinary people, who are not Nobel Prize-winning scientists? It means there will be a significant increase in human misery and death for our children, our grandchildren, and future generations as we see a significant increase in drought, in flooding, in severe weather disturbances, in wars and political unrest as nations fight for limited resources. There will be an increase in all kinds of disease. There will be an increase in malnutrition and starvation because of the loss of arable cropland and water. Those are some of the realities that will be seen in coming generations.
Let me be even more specific about what the future will bring if we do not reduce global warming in a significant way. Many of our friends say: Oh, there are problems here, look at all the problems. Yes, there are problems, but think about the problems that will take place if we do not act. In this sense we have to not be selfish because we are talking about our kids, our grandchildren, and the future of this planet. This is what we will be seeing in the not too distant future.
In the western United States, there will be a major crisis in terms of finding drinking water. There are great discussions taking place right now in California. While we have already seen major problems in terms of forest fires in recent years--and my colleague from Idaho was on the floor talking about forest fires--he ``ain't seen nothing yet,'' if this planet continues to warm.
Furthermore, we will see heat waves, which will become more frequent, which will cause terrible health impacts, especially for the elderly.
In Africa, by 2020, fresh water sources for between 75 and 250 million people will be stressed. In Asia, fresh water availability will be decreased, potentially adversely affecting more than 1 billion people by the year 2050.
In Latin America, by mid-century, tropical forests will be replaced by savanna, causing a significant loss of biodiversity and water availability.
Finally, in the polar regions, the loss of ice in glaciers and ice sheets and changes in snow conditions will negatively affect wildlife and arctic communities. From this, sea level could rise up to 23 feet, with the complete melting of the Greenland ice sheet, which would take many centuries but would ultimately occur due to manmade emissions.
When people say: My goodness, resolving global warming is a problem--yes. But compared to what?
Let us also be very clear that the horrific problems we are talking about for the future have already begun today. This is not saying, gee, it is all going to happen tomorrow. It is happening today, right now. Yesterday, one example of a million, the New York Times reported that large parts of Spain are turning into deserts and conflicts over water are increasing, in part because of global warming. A long-term drought in Australia, which many believe is related to global warming, has significantly reduced their food production, which some experts believe is one of the reasons international food prices are rising. That is today, not 10 years from now.
The evidence is overwhelming. We are looking at one of the great crises facing our planet, as great as we have ever faced. If we do not act effectively, the results will be catastrophic. When people say it will be difficult to address the issues of global warming, they are right. It is not going to be easy. But it will be 100 times more difficult to address the disasters that will come if we do not act now. All over the world people of all political persuasions, of all religious persuasions, understand that simple reality. If you do not act now, it is not going away, it is only going to get worse.
What the leading scientists are telling us is that not only is the situation dire, it is worse than they had predicted only a few years ago. I am a member of the Committee on Environment and Public Works. That is what these people do. They come and say: Yes, we told you the situation was bad. We were wrong. It is worse than we had told you only a few years ago.
What the scientific community is now telling us, and why this particular bill is lacking, is that the United States must reduce its global warming emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050, and some say we should do more than that. Further, through its leadership--we are the most powerful Nation on Earth--through its political strength, its advanced technology, we must do everything we can to work with the international community so that as a planet we go forward together in substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The world is crying out for America's leadership. We must give it.
If we do all of these things, there is still a chance that we may not be successful in keeping the worst from happening. Those are the problems our planet is facing. What should we do to address them? What do we do? Frankly, I happen to believe that not only is the global warming crisis solvable, I happen to believe it is not quite as complicated as many others believe. The truth is that as a result of a lot of excellent scientific and technological work done here in the United States and all over the world, we know what has to be done. We know what has to be done. It is not a mystery.
Frankly, if you compare for a moment the challenge that we face with global warming today compared to the challenge the Congress of 1941 faced when we were attacked at Pearl Harbor, our job is much less difficult than their job was. They had to create armies to fight all over the world. They had to rebuild the civilian economy into a war economy. And they did all of that in a few years--and won, both in Europe and in Asia. That was a problem.
This, frankly, in my view, is less of a problem. What do we have to do? In English? No. 1, we must move aggressively toward energy efficiency in every area of our lives, and the technology is here for us to do it. My own State of Vermont has been aggressive with regard to energy efficiency and the results are very promising. As a result of strong energy efficiency efforts, my State is using 5.3 percent less energy than it would have without those programs. These efforts have made Vermont the first State in the country to experience negative load growth while the population is increasing. Said another way, the State has actually reduced the amount of electricity it uses while still adding more users and experiencing economic growth. And Vermont has barely scratched the surface in terms of energy efficiency. I have no doubt, for example, that Vermont and the rest of the country can do much better in years to come, especially as new technology such as LED light bulbs are introduced into the economy. These bulbs will consume one-tenth of the electricity of an incandescent bulb. So the potential in terms of energy efficiency is extraordinary.
But the issue is not only with electricity. The issue is also with transportation. Given the dismal situation in terms of efficiency in transportation today, we can't help but make enormous improvements in years to come. Automobiles, including hybrids and hybrid plug-ins, will get at least 50 miles per gallon and it should be commonplace within a few years. Forget about the cars that are getting 15 miles per gallon, we will get 50, 75 miles per gallon and even more. Electric cars will be on the market that will have a range of 200 to 300 miles. You go to work, you go on your trip, you come back, plug it in, and you are off and running the next day.
Today, rural America is sorely lacking in public transportation. In Vermont and all over America, workers have no choice but to drive to work because we don't have the kind of bus system we have to have. Build that bus system. You are going to save an enormous amount of energy.
In terms of our antiquated rail system, think of the potential we have there. Today we are far behind, both in passenger travel and in cargo travel. We are way behind Europe and Japan, other parts of the world. We can and must build a modern transportation system, a rail system. When we do that, we save unbelievable quantities of energy. In other words, what the scientific community has told us over and over again is that the cheapest energy is the energy we don't use. As a Nation we are going to make some progress in this area, but we have a long way to go.
As we contemplate a strategy to reverse global warming, breaking our dependance on foreign oil and stimulating the economy, there is some very good news out there if we are smart enough to hear it, if we are prepared to take on powerful special interests, and if we are prepared to develop the political will to go forward.
Despite the fact that the Federal Government has been very slow in moving in terms of sustainable energy, major breakthroughs are already taking place in our country and around the world in terms of such renewable energies as wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass. If we are smart and prepared to invest in a reasonably short period of time, we can move our country not only away from foreign oil but away from fossil fuel in general, the burning of which is the major cause of global warming. We now have the potential to produce an enormous amount of energy in a cost-effective way through sustainable approaches which not only do not emit greenhouse gases but produce virtually no pollution at all, clean up our environment, as well as cut back on greenhouse gas emissions.
Let me give you a few examples of what I am talking about.
Wind is the fastest growing source of energy in the world and the United States, but we have barely begun to tap its potential. Today, we are producing less than 1 percent of our electricity from wind, but even the Bush administration acknowledges that we can get as much as 20 percent of our electricity from this valuable renewable resource. We should be supporting wind energy not only through the creation of large wind farms in the appropriate areas but through the production of small, inexpensive wind turbines which can be used in homes and farms throughout rural America.
In terms of solar power, the potential is almost unlimited. Right now, as we speak, concentrating solar powerplants are being built and planned in the United States and throughout the world. These plants can produce as much electricity as a small nuclear powerplant. Let me repeat that. Plants are being constructed today which emit virtually no greenhouse gas emissions, which are cost effective, and which can produce almost as much electricity as a nuclear powerplant.
It is estimated that this one solar technology which is beginning to explode in the southwest part of our country--in Nevada, southern California, New Mexico--this one technology can provide as much as 25 percent of our Nation's electricity and maybe even more. It is there. It is happening now. The Federal Government, of course, has been very slow to respond or to help. It is happening even without our help.
To offer another example, building just 80 gigawatts of concentrating solar power capacity--a target that is achievable by 2030--would produce enough electricity to power approximately 25 million homes, while helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is there now. This is what we can be doing.
Furthermore, the cost of concentrating solar powerplants has already begun to decline as production increases. In fact, concentrating solar power costs are projected to drop to 8 to 10 cents per kilowatt hour when capacity exceeds 3,000 megawatts, according to a 2008 Sandia National Laboratory presentation.
There it is. It is happening. People are talking about all kinds of things, solar concentrating powerplants are taking place right now, increasingly cost effective, and no greenhouse gas emissions.
One of the country's largest utilities, Pacific Gas and Electric, is working with Solel Solar Systems to build and operate a 553-megawatt concentrated solar powerplant in the Mojave Desert which would provide electricity for 400,000 homes. We can build dozens of those plants in the United States of America.
Furthermore, in terms of solar technology, we are not only talking about solar powerplants, we are also talking about photovoltaic. And more and more Americans, in their homes, in their buildings, in public buildings, in businesses, are installing solar photovoltaics, the price of which should also come down significantly as production increases. Photovoltaics on the roofs of only 10 percent of the existing buildings in the United States could meet 70 percent of peak electric demand. Worldwide installations of solar PVs have increased by nearly 50 percent last year. This is an exploding technology in the United States and all over the world. We have to do everything we can to increase and help out and make sure that technology continues to grow.
The bottom line here is, as we move forward in all of these areas, we are going to create millions of good-paying jobs, transforming our energy system away from foreign oil and fossil fuels into energy efficiency and sustainable energy. The potential is extraordinary. This is a great country. We have faced challenges in the past. We can and must accept this challenge now.
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