"Let's get real here..."

First, the news:
The U.S. Senate rejected a plan Thursday (12/7/07) to curb carbon dioxide emissions from industrial smokestacks as a source of global warming. It was the chamber's first vote in more than six years on the controversial issue of climate change.

The 55-43 vote against the measure co-sponsored by Sens. John McCain, a Republican, and Joe Lieberman, a Democrat, capped a two-day debate that the two senators described as the opening shot in what they acknowledged will be a lengthy effort to get Congress to address global warming.

Their bill would have required industrial plants — but not motor vehicles — to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to 2000 levels by 2010. The Bush administration said the bill would seriously harm the U.S. economy.

"Let's get real here: this is a very minimal proposal that should be a first step," McCain told the Senate, showing pictures of Arctic Sea ice loss and melting at Glacier National Park. "But we have to start somewhere. We will be back, because these pictures will continue to get worse and won't improve until we begin to address this issue."

Airport bathroom philander Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho) was one who voted against this modest proposal, saying there was no need to introduce a "massive new regulatory process" for industrial carbon dioxide because, "It is not a pollutant. It does not represent a direct threat to public health."

Apparently Senator Craig has been too busy battling his inner demons to take notice of the fact that the effects of CO2 on the atmosphere are now far, far beyond debate.

However, in the interest of fairness, good senator, we will provide you with a 10-second primer explaining why excessive CO2 in the atmosphere is a bad thing: CO2 is one of a group of gases known as "greenhouse gases". These greenhouse gases reside in the troposphere, a layer of the atmosphere 10-15 km thick and trap the sun's energy, providing us warmth. Too much greenhouse gas and our ice caps melt, oceans absorb the poisons, plants and animals die of thirst and hunger, and we need to move our sunblock up a notch.

Now Senator Craig may be unethical and duplicitous and corrupt, but he's no dummy. Notice his phrasing. He says that CO2 is not a pollutant, and in a sense he's not lying (unlike, one might assume, in the case of his bathroom stall alibi). CO2 in itself is not necessarily a "pollutant" – it's a gas that helps comprise a healthy balance of compounds in our ecosystem. Of course this is assuming it, like everything else is within a reasonable balance. But when one piece of the puzzle is too large for the space where it's meant to fit, the puzzle can't be completed, and in the case of Earth, an incomplete puzzle equals disaster.

And so while CO2 itself is a compound with no value, good or bad, in a technical sense, excessive amounts of it in our atmosphere (like 280 ppm in 1850 to 364 ppm in 1998, due mostly to industrial waste and auto exhaust) poses an imminent danger.

Just to put an even finer point on our case, this, from the May 22, 2007 issue of ITWire: "Carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere is likely to reach the first climate change danger level by 2028 and if emissions growth continues at the present rate, the point of no return will be reached with dire consequences by by 2046, according to new scientific research published at the National Academy of Sciences."

GET SPONSIBLE!

So, since being sponsible is about taking straightforward action to effect positive change, here's our suggestion...

Get on the horn with your senators- today! They all have toll free numbers and are staffed with people who will take your call. If your senator voted for the bill, let them hear your appreciation. Your support actually does go a long way. You know how good you feel when a co-worker, family member or friend says "Bully for you!" Well, your senators are no different. Show them your support often and they will support you on the Senate floor.

As for those senators who voted against this bill, let them know your pissedoffedness. Don't give them a free pass. Use strong (not profane) language in explaining how they will lose your vote if they don't reconsider theirs on the issue of global warming. Without your votes they're out of a job. Don't ever forget that.

We've provided a link to the directory of senators, state-by-state, HERE.

Don't know how your Senator voted? Then just ask! Senators' votes are a matter of public record so if you can't find it they (or their assistants) will tell you. Then either thank them or rip them a new a-hole.

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LINK OF THE DAY

ThomHartmann.com

If you don't know Thom Hartmann, you should. Thom's AIR AMERICA radio show can be heard weekdays from 9am to noon on the west coast and noon to 3pm in the east. He's an author, a psychotherapist, a renowned specialist in ADHD, a historian, an advocate for the environment, a pilot, a former ad exec and a hell of a decent, thoughtful human being. We had the chance to meet Thom twice - at an advance screening of Leonardo DiCaprio's excellent film The 11th Hour, in which he's featured, and at a recent book signing on his tour for Cracking the Code.

Unlike many of his Air America cohorts, Thom never resorts to vituperative attacks or sarcastic commentary. He simply presents well-reasoned facts while always showing the utmost respect for his guests, be they philosophical opponents or simpaticos.

Give Thom a listen and pick up one of his excellent books. Then sign up for his forum and let him know, as you would your Senator, your feelings.

Here's Thom giving a bit of a history lesson...