Urge North Carolina's leaders to protect our state against global warming!
The burning of fossil fuels and the release of excess carbon dioxide are creating a blanket of heat trapping pollution in the Earth's atmosphere. Recent studies have found rapid warming on both poles and retreating glaciers around the world - all tangible signs of global warming. Yet, carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise. In North Carolina alone, emissions have increased more than 30% since 1990.
Despite overwhelming evidence, the Bush Administration has stalled international efforts to address global warming. But the stakes are high -- as global warming increases, coastal states such as North Carolina will likely see stronger hurricanes, rising seas that innundate the Outer Banks, and worsening air quality. And the longer we wait, the more severe the impact will be.
Fortunately, state leaders are moving to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other climate-warming gasses on their own. But this is no time to relax. North Carolina can and should take immediate steps to promote energy efficiency and reduce emissions without undermining the state's economy. Tell North Carolina's state leaders: it's time to do what we can, here at home, to halt global warming!
Please sign the petition below, urging key North Carolina officials to show leadership on global warming in 2005!
Dear Governor Easley, Senator Basnight and Representative Black:
I am writing to ask you to set North Carolina on a path to reduce our state's emissions of carbon dioxide and other gasses that contribute to global warming. Recent studies have confirmed that burning fossil fuel, which releases carbon dioxide, causes global warming. The United States is the number one producer of carbon dioxide in the world. In North Carolina, emissions of carbon dioxide have risen 30% since 1990 with over half of these emissions coming from our utilities and transportation sectors.
Global warming presents a real threat to North Carolina, in the form of increased flooding, stronger hurricanes, inundation of our barrier islands as the sea level rises, and greater difficulty meeting federal ozone and particulate air quality standards in our cities as temperatures increase. We have already seen the erosion of our beaches, unprecedented flooding in our mountains, and a severe drought that brought many of our local communities within hours of running out of water. While experts cannot say these events were the result of global warming, they have stated that as the temperature of the Earth continues to rise, we should expect more extreme weather.
Ultimately, addressing global warming will require national and international action -- but there are free or inexpensive steps that North Carolina can take now to begin to address the threat: namely promoting non-fossil fuel sources of energy; supporting energy efficiency in industry and government; and planning ahead to position North Carolina to cut our carbon dioxide emissions without damaging our economy. I urge you to pursue these opportunities with vision and commitment in 2005.
Thank you for making a commitment to this issue.
