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Climate Change

According to experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the planet has just come through the warmest decade in history, the warmest 12 month period in history in 2009, and 2010 tied 2005 for the hottest years on record. This is only a portent of things to come.

From a Manhattan-sized piece of the Petermann Glacier breaking off in the Arctic Ocean, to devastating wildfires in Russia, to torrential downpours in Pakistan, and record hot temperatures right here in New York this past summer, we are seeing the types of extreme weather events that experts have predicted will occur due to climate change.

Clearly, we need to move towards a clean, renewable energy future that will slow the progression of climate change, prevent future disasters like the BP oil spill, and create hundreds of thousands of green jobs right here in New York.

Yet, despite all this, the federal government has been unwilling to act. As a world leader, the United States has a responsibility to set a global example by taking decisive and concrete steps to reduce its global warming pollution. The nation emits about 25% of the world’s global warming pollution, but has less than 5% of the world’s population.

NYPIRG has partnered with 350.org, an international coalition of hundreds of groups and thousands of individuals across the world, to demand an end to the country’s reliance on dirty and dangerous fossil fuels. Join NYPIRG and hundreds of thousands of people across the country to fight for a clean energy future for the nation and the world.

NYPIRG has been spearheading efforts to pass legislation in New York requiring an 80% cut in greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by 2050. This bill has passed in the NYS Assembly for several years but has been killed in the Senate. However, Governor Paterson issued an executive order in 2009 establishing 80 by 2050 as the state’s policy goal, and the state is now developing a Climate Action Plan to implement it. NYPIRG is also fighting on the state and federal level to reduce diesel pollution, a potent contributor to global warming.