[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 6487-6488]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       COMMEMORATION OF EARTH DAY

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, Earth Day has been celebrated on April 22 
every year since 1970. Much has changed since then. Americans have 
grown increasingly aware of importance of environmental stewardship for 
the wellbeing of our country. New challenges have emerged, though, that 
we didn't recognize in 1970. New sources of pollution threaten our air 
and water. In recent weeks, for instance, we have been reminded that 
there are chemicals and pharmaceuticals entering our waters whose 
effects on the environment are largely unknown.

[[Page 6488]]

  Perhaps our most important challenge perhaps the greatest problem 
mankind has ever faced--is global warming. Disruptive climate change 
threatens our ecosystems, our national security, and our economy. 
Landmark laws such as the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act have 
done much to protect America. Now, though, our generation is being 
asked to step up to save our planet as a whole.
  The science is unequivocal: global warming is real and manmade 
greenhouse gases are the root cause. The scientific debate is over, and 
the time for action is at hand.
  Congress is taking this responsibility seriously. Several bills have 
been introduced in the 110th Congress that would attempt to reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions. Among them is America's Climate Security Act, 
the bill crafted by Senators Lieberman and Warner.
  The Lieberman-Warner bill has the potential to reduce America's total 
greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020 and 66 percent by 2050 
compared to 2005 levels. These cuts would restore U.S. leadership in 
international climate change negotiations and help avoid the worst 
consequences of global warming.
  There is no doubt. We need to start cutting greenhouse gases now. 
What have we heard from the White House on this? Last week, President 
Bush said America's goal should be to start to reduce the rate of 
greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. Representative Edward Markey, 
chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and 
Global Warming, described the plan this way. The President's short-term 
plan for global warming is: Do nothing. His intermediate plan is: Do 
nothing much. And his long-term plan is: Do nothing close to what is 
required to avoid global catastrophe.
  The White House plan is not nearly good enough. As global warming 
progresses we can expect more coastal flooding, more inland droughts 
and wildfires, more severe storms, more global water and food crises, 
and more stress on species and habitats that are already at risk for 
survival. A White House policy of ``business as usual''--of continuing 
to allow greenhouse gas emissions at an unchecked, accelerating pace--
will sentence America to an increasing number of catastrophes--
catastrophes that will be costly in terms of dollars and of human life 
and health.
  We in Congress have another choice--the choice to honestly debate a 
rational plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enacting laws 
that protect our planet and America's future.
  The founders of Earth Day created a legacy that lives with us today. 
Americans recognize that our well-being is founded on a clean and 
healthy environment. We have seen much improvement in the environmental 
stewardship shown by our nation's citizens and industry. Congress can 
be proud of the role it has played, too. Today, on this Earth Day, 
America is faced with a new set of environmental challenges. I look 
forward to working with my Senate colleagues as we do what Congresses 
before us have done: set aside our personal and partisan differences to 
do what is right for our country.
  Mrs. DOLE. Mr. President, I rise today in support of Earth Day. 
Thirty-eight years ago, 20 million people from across our country 
celebrated Earth Day for the first time. This has since become an 
important annual tradition, not only in America, but across the globe. 
What started as a day to voice concerns over smog, litter and dirty 
rivers is now a global movement to clean our air, land, and water for 
future generations.
  I am pleased that we have found many commonsense solutions to 
difficult environmental problems since the first Earth Day in 1970. For 
example, in 1978 we banned chlorofluorocarbons in aerosol cans because 
of their devastating affect on the ozone layer. In 1990 we passed the 
Clean Air Act Amendments to stop acid rain. And in 2003 we passed the 
Clear Skies legislation to reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide 
that pollute our air. Although all of these accomplishments make sense 
to us today, it wasn't always easy to convince leaders and even the 
public that these actions were essential to protect our environment.
  Some folks had concerns about the actual effects of the legislation, 
while others had concerns about the economic costs. Their concerns are 
not unlike the concerns of some in the current debate about global 
climate change. A number of my colleagues and I support a cap and trade 
system. But no matter how we deal with climate change we know that this 
will be a complex and vigorous debate. The discussions about the impact 
and costs are legitimate debates to be had. But I firmly believe that 
inaction is not an answer to this growing crisis.
  On this Earth Day, which is celebrated by our Federal, State, and 
local governments; grassroots organizations; citizens of North 
Carolina, the United States, and the rest of the world, we set out a 
vision of how things can be. We can be energy independent and secure, 
we can de-carbonize our electric generation, and we can wean ourselves 
off foreign oil. We can leave the cause of this day--the Earth--cleaner 
and more vibrant. It will not be easy, but we as a nation can and must 
lead the way.

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