Previous Action Item:

Make the Western states’ global warming plan just, fair and effective!

This Action Alert is to let you know of an important opportunity to be a voice in the development of critical regional climate policies.

The Western Climate Initiative (WCI) is a collaborative effort between seven Western states and two Canadian provinces to develop regional strategies to reduce global warming pollution in the absence of national policy. The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to scientifically-based targets while fostering the new energy economy of the 21st century.

It is critical that the policies ultimately adopted, which may become a national model, are both effective and equitable. Interfaith Power and Light is working to ensure the regional carbon market does not reward historic polluters by giving away free emissions "allowances," or force low income households to pay a disproportionate burden of rising energy costs.

On July 29th, the WCI is holding a stakeholder meeting in San Diego to gather public input on design recommendations for the policies. Interfaith Power and Light will be delivering the attached petition.

 


Results:

Two hundred forty-one people of faith signed the petition!

Thank you for making our voice heard!

This was the message that was sent by Interfaith Power and Light to the WCI meeting in San Diego on July 29th:

Global warming endangers the life-support systems for all creation and puts at risk the most vulnerable --those living in poverty, the elderly, those in ill health and children.

As the most pressing moral issue of our time, global warming calls for effective and immediate action. We thank the Partners of the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) for their strong leadership at the regional level in the absence of national action.

The Western Climate Initiative will create the potential for seven western states and two Canadian provinces to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to scientifically-based targets while fostering the new energy economy of the 21st century. As people of faith, we urge you to embrace the following elements in finalizing the WCI framework:

1. Alleviate global warming-induced suffering for the world’s poor and the most vulnerable.

2. Ensure that states and provinces distribute carbon emission allowances and revenues in a fair and equitable manner

3. Designate a portion of allowances, or revenues from allowance auctions, to assist low-income people in adapting to WCI through intensive energy efficiency programs, transportation alternatives, and bill payment assistance.

4. Ensure that working people can transition to new green jobs, and that worker retraining is available for that purpose.

5. Ensure WCI’s scope includes transportation fuels in order to maintain the environmental integrity of WCI and to achieve the lowest cost economy-wide emissions reductions.



 


The Regeneration Project | 220 Montgomery Street | Suite 450 | San Francisco | California | 94104 | Phone: 415-561-4891 | Fax: 415-561-2892