Democrats Say Climate Report Smoking Gun

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Democrats Say Climate Report Smoking Gun

Friday February 2, 2007 3:01 PM

By JOHN HEILPRIN

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - A strongly worded global warming report from the world's top climate scientists put pressure Friday on the Bush administration to reduce the United States' growing share of gases that trap heat in the atmosphere.

Democrats newly in control of Congress and other critics of President Bush's environmental policies pounced on the long-awaited United Nations report like fresh meat.

``Although President Bush just noticed that the earth is heating up, the American public, every reputable scientist and other world leaders have long recognized that global warming is real and it's serious. The time to act is now,'' said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who with GOP Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine crafted one of a half-dozen competing bills to address global warming.

Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., a senior member of House panels on energy and natural resources, said that ``for those who are still trying to determine responsibility for global warming, this new U.N. report on climate change is a scientific smoking gun.''

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Friday, February 2, 2007

Kerry for ‘realistic’ climate change bill

By Danny Lauridsen SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

WASHINGTON— U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., reintroduced bipartisan legislation yesterday intended to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, which he called a major cause of climate change, to 65 percent below the 2000 levels by 2050.

Mr. Kerry joined U.S. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, at a press conference in announcing the Global Warming Reduction Act, which they said would make more of an impact than other proposed legislation that does not include incentives such as tax breaks for businesses and individuals.

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Of his bill, Mr. Kerry said the 65 percent reduction goal is a key difference from other bills calling for more than 80 percent reduction in the same period of time.

“It’s just not realistic,” he said of the other bills. “No scientist has told me that that’s achievable.”

If passed, Mr. Kerry’s bill would require that the United States freeze emissions in 2010 and then reduce emission levels gradually through the use of clean, renewable energy sources to achieve 10- and 20-year target levels in the transportation, industrial and residential sectors.

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Fighting Global Warming

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The “Global Warming Reduction Act” sets forceful greenhouse gas emissions targets that leading scientists say are the best way to keep temperatures below the danger point. Besides just capping pollution, the Kerry-Snowe plan promotes incentives to buy efficient products that reduce greenhouse gas emissions for American homes, businesses and roads.

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