We know that global warming threatens our way of life.
Experts predict that the decreased snow-pack and retreating glaciers in the North Cascades mean massive shortages in clean drinking water in Washington; there will be a longer and more severe wildfire season, coastal cities like Seattle, Bellingham and Olympia will become submerged as sea levels rise. According to scientists the window of opportunity to avoid the worst effects of global warming is quickly closing.
Solving the problem won't be easy; we need to transform how we use energy and live our lives. We are going to need new technology and policies that will get these technologies put in place.
But while the scientists and politicians argue about the long-term solutions and haggle over politics, the one thing we do know is that we’re ready to take action now.
Around the world, we have solutions that are ready to implement right now.
We have cars that get 100 miles to the gallon.
We can now make buildings that are so efficient they use zero net energy.
We can power the country by putting solar panels on just 7% of the developed land in the country.
We can dramatically curb our use of cars and the pollution they produce by doubling investment in clean, efficient public transportation and high speed rail.
And we’re not just ready, we’ve already started. On campus, students have been leading the way. Students at The Evergreen State College buy 100% of their energy from clean energy sources, Evergreen’s five-building Seminar II complex dramatically cuts wasted energy with an innovative design that regulates temperature without a cooling system in over 80% of the building, at the University of Washington, all state-funded new building and major renovations will be LEED Silver-certified, at a minimum, WashPIRG students at UW last fall swapped out 3,500 campus light bulbs with energy efficient compact florescent light bulbs saving the university $12,000 a year.
Students have worked to pass transformative legislation, like the Clean Cars Program, which will make cars that get 40 miles per gallon to be the norm. Thanks to President Obama’s approval of the program, cars sold in Washington and 13 other stats must emit 40% less carbon pollution by 2020. Students also took the lead in passing Initiative 937, which requires at least 15% of our electricity will come from clean, renewable energy sources.
To stop the worst effects of global warming, we need to reduce global warming pollution at least 25 % below 1990 levels by 2020. We'll educate people across the state about technology that we do have to solve the problem, we'll continue to lead the way by getting these technologies put into place on campus and in our communities and we will call on our elected officials to do what they can to cut global warming emissions.
