Current Events

As we watch the U.N. Conference on Climate Change in Poznan, Poland this week, it's clear that the world is waiting for the U.S. to lead on climate change. We're proud that President-elect Barack Obama has promised bold leadership on climate change and has already announced that he agrees with the world’s leading scientists that the U.S. must cut our polluting carbon emissions at least 80% by 2050.

1Sky board member Bill McKibben has a must-read article in this month's Mother Jones called "The Most Important Number on Earth" that delivers a simple but strong message: it's time to freak out--and get to work.

Day 1 of the much anticipated international climate talks in Poznan, Poland has come and gone. The official opening of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 14) featured the election of Mr. Maciej Nowicki, the Polish Minister of the Environment, as president of the global gathering.

Looks like it's Good News Week for the climate movement!

On Tuesday, President-elect Obama delivered a remarkable statement by video to the Governors' Global Climate Summit in Los Angeles (read Gillian's take on it here). We also had a wildly successful national day of action on Tuesday, about which you can read more -- and share your own stories -- on this roundup thread.

Then yesterday, we learned of Henry Waxman's successful bid to become Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, ousting long-time chair John Dingell. For the proverbial cherry on top, Senator Barbara Boxer (Chair of the Committee on Environment and Public Works) announced she'll introduce two major pieces of climate legislation next year. This is all on top of the de-facto moratorium on new coal power plants handed down by an EPA board last week. All in all, a pretty good week-plus.

It’s not just the cold November air that’s taking our breath away these days. It’s the brisk winds of change heralding the dawn of a new administration and a new national commitment to address global warming, and to do so in a way that promises to stimulate a much needed economic recovery.

From Politico.com:

California Rep. Henry A. Waxman on Thursday officially dethroned longtime Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell, upending a seniority system that has governed Democratic politics in the House for decades.

In a secret ballot vote in the Cannon Caucus Room, House Democrats ratified an earlier decision by the Steering and Policy Committee to replace the 82-year-old Dingell with his 69-year-old rival. The vote was 137-122 in favor of Waxman.

The ascension of Waxman, a wily environmentalist, recasts a committee that Dingell has chaired since 1981 with an eye toward protecting the domestic auto industry in his native Michigan. The Energy and Commerce Committee has principal jurisdiction over many of President-elect Barack Obama's top legislative priorities, including energy, the environment and health care.

This change in the Energy and Commerce Committee will have important consequences for climate policy. We'll have more on the significance of this stunning development soon.

UPDATE: From CQ Politics, a transcript of remarks by Waxman and Dingell after the caucus vote. Excerpt from Waxman's remarks:

We are at a unique moment in history. We have an opportunity that maybe comes only once in a generation. And I think that the Democratic Caucus agreed with me that we must meet that challenge and move forward on those important policies.

We have a unique opportunity. And we may well turn out to be as historical as the Congress was in 1933.

What I don’t want to see happen is the Congress end up the way we were in 1994, without success. I feel confident we’re going to have the success we need.

The American people are hurting all around this country. They’re demanding change. They’re demanding action. And we must live up to their expectations.

Cross-posted at Huffington Post.

UPDATE: Watch my video briefing on the 2008 election!

When it comes to the outlook for climate and energy policy under President-elect Barack Obama and the 111th Congress, there’s the good news, and then there are the serious challenges that we must work together to confront in the critical year that lies ahead.

As the new Congress gears up for next year, the House Energy and Commerce Committee (a crucial committee for climate legislation) may experience some important changes. Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) is planning to challenge Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), the House’s most senior member, for the chairmanship.

New coal plants are the most urgent threat to our dangerously fragile climate. Just yesterday, an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) appeals board issued a ruling that will essentially halt the construction of new coal plants in the United States for the near term.

Huge news came out yesterday--NO NEW COAL PLANTS! The Sierra Club's legal team has forced the EPA to put an immediate halt on the construction of all new coal-fired power plants in the US. This news marks a huge victory for the climate movement! It's Getting Hot in Here reports: