By Paul G. Pinsky and Kumar Barve|January 30, 2008
The General Assembly has an opportunity to take real action on global warming. The Global Warming Solutions Act would cut our greenhouse gas pollution 25 percent by 2020 and 90 percent by 2050, as recommended by the governor's Commission on Climate Change.
Why now? Because we can't continue to wait and debate. The damage to Maryland's economy and to our environment - particularly the Chesapeake Bay - if we do nothing is far too great a cost to bear.
With 3,100 miles of shoreline, Maryland is the fourth-most-vulnerable state to the effects of global warming. Rising sea levels, stronger and more frequent storms, and severe weather patterns that threaten our agricultural sustainability, tourism and urban centers could spell disaster for Maryland's economy.
Conversely, the Global Warming Solutions Act would mean significant investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency and green buildings, creating "green-collar" jobs for Marylanders and saving taxpayers money in the long run, while reversing an environmentally destructive trend.
Recently enacted legislation, including the Healthy Air Act, the "clean car" law and other bills, will achieve more than one-quarter of the reductions required by this bill. The rest would come from a major new statewide energy-efficiency program, increased use of renewable energy and clean fuels, Smart Growth measures, green building codes and the construction of small, efficient power plants to gradually replace massive, old-fashioned plants. Other reductions would come from carbon sequestration projects, such as planting forest buffers along tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay, innovative agricultural practices and saltwater marsh restoration.
The White House has failed to join international accords to address climate change. Why should we expect nations such as China and India to join these efforts if the historically worst polluter does not? We no longer can wait for the federal government to act. Even if voters elect a pro-environment president in November, there is still a long battle ahead in Congress. If Maryland joins other states - California, New Jersey and Hawaii - that have adopted legislation to fight global warming, it can only hasten Congress, and the White House, to approve national policy.
