For immediate release: April 16, 2008
Contact: Emily Figdor, 202-744-8204
 
Bush Climate Announcement on Crash Course with Scientific Reality
 
Washington, DC—President Bush today announced a new goal of stopping the growth of U.S. global warming emissions by 2025.  Yet, in 2007, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that global emissions must peak no later than 2015 to prevent catastrophic effects of global warming.
 
“Global warming is already transforming the world.  Last month, global warming caused a chunk of Antarctic ice about seven times the size of Manhattan to suddenly collapse.  President Bush’s plan is on a crash course with scientific reality.  The time for action is today – not 20 years from now,” said Environment America Federal Global Warming Program Director Emily Figdor.
 
According to the Department of Energy, U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions are projected to increase by 12% above 2006 levels by 2025.
 
To protect future generations from the worst effects of global warming, such as a massive rise in sea levels and the extinction of many species worldwide, the most recent science indicates that the United States must halt increases in its global warming emissions immediately, cut its emissions by at least 15 to 20 percent by 2020, and slash its emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050.
 
“To solve this urgent problem, America must invest in a clean energy future with an emphasis on energy efficient homes and buildings and solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources,” added Figdor.  “Instead of focusing on the cleanest, quickest, and cheapest solutions, the President is focused on expensive and dangerous technologies, like nuclear power,” she concluded.
 
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