A Climate Call To Action For New England CLF Focuses on 5 Steps in 5 Years the Northeastern States Must Take to Confront the Climate Crisis
Contact
Colin Durrant, CLF Director of Communications
617.850.1722
BOSTON, MA (July 28, 2008) Systematic and immediate changes to New England’s energy programs and transportation infrastructure are needed to meet the climate change crisis, according to a call to action released today by the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), New England’s leading environmental group.
CLF lays out a blueprint for five specific actions New England must take in the next five years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and curb global warming.
Our region, like the rest of the nation and the world, is facing the greatest environmental threat of our era, demanding transformations at all levels of our society and economy that are proportionate to the scale of the problem,” said CLF President Philip Warburg. “CLF’s call to action lays out five bold steps that are realistic and commensurate with the scale and seriousness of the climate crisis. We can build healthier communities and grow a clean energy economy by engaging this challenge today.”
New England’s Downpayment on the Future: Five Steps in Five Years to Confront the Climate Threat is available online at www.newenglandclimatesolutions.org and identifies five key steps the region’s citizens and policymakers must take in the next five years to reduce the climate change threat:
- Expand public transit opportunities and give people the opportunity to drive less by spending at www.newenglandclimatesolutions.org least 75 percent of transportation funds in the region on public transit and compact, transit-oriented development.
- Invest at least $1 billion in new energy efficiency and conservation measures for our homes and businesses.
- Build 2,000 megawatts of new wind power.
- Shut down at least two of the region’s coal-fired power plants or convert them to cleaner, low-carbon fuels.
- Enact legislation in every New England state that mandates reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and requires review of climate impacts in state permitting and infrastructure decisions.
These five steps present our region’s leaders and residents with a special challenge: to find opportunity in crisis,” said Seth Kaplan , CLF’s Vice President for Climate Advocacy. “We must commit ourselves to a new future and a clean energy economy built upon the innovative solutions that will deliver the greatest reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.”
To download CLF’s climate vision visit: www.newenglandclimatesolutions.org
The Conservation Law Foundation (www.clf.org) works to solve the most significant environmental challenges facing New England . CLF’s advocates use law, economics and science to create innovative strategies to conserve natural resources, protect public health and promote vital communities in our region. Founded, in 1966, CLF is a nonprofit, member-supported organization with offices in Maine , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , Rhode Island and Vermont .
