Assignment #5 - part 3

Final Paper Bill Information

The bill that I have chosen to write on is S.1733 – Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. The sponsor for this bill is John Kerry and its purpose is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a nation-wide cap-and-trade program. Furthermore, it seeks to create energy jobs, promote energy independence, reduce global warming pollution, and help facilitate a transition to a clean energy economy.

The following are three provisions that the bill promotes:

1. Transition us away from dirty fossil fuels of the past and toward the clean energy of the future: The Clean Energy Jobs & American Power Act leaves key Clean Air Act provisions intact, thus maintaining existing mechanisms to regulate dirty coal technology. These provisions are crucial for ending the construction of new dirty coal plants that use outdated technology and ensuring that the oldest, dirtiest coal plants reduce their global warming pollution.

2. Take serious steps to cut global warming pollution as soon as possible: Cut carbon pollution from fossil fuels at least 20% by 2020: Scientists say we must do much more. Targets for cutting carbon from fossil fuels in Kerry-Boxer are 3% stronger than the House bill, but rollbacks in regulation of methane and other greenhouse gasses make the bill only 1% stronger on net.

3. Create millions of clean energy jobs by investing in a clean energy future: The current Senate bill includes many key job-creating and job-training programs necessary to jumpstart America's transition to a clean energy economy. We encourage senators to increase investment in programs that will create new jobs by investing in a clean energy future rather than investing in dirty coal plants and oil companies who have been reaping record profits for years. This includes bolstering support for a global climate deal by investing in climate adaptation, avoided deforestation, and exporting clean energy technology.

Assignment #5 - Part 2

Part 2

1. I believe that developing countries have the right to exploit forests (and other natural resources) as Europe and U.S. did to increase their economic well-being. Considering the importance of global climate change, I also acknowledge that there is a growing need to countries to adapt and use technologies that lessen our impact on the environment. Developing countries do not have the financial resources to undertake such kinds of research and development.

I believe that if rich countries are willing to share renewable energy technologies with developing countries then it would be in the developing countries best interest and moral and ethical duty to stop exploiting forests. I believe that given a choice developing countries would not choose to exploit forests and other natural resources, they do so out of need.

2. Countries such as China and India are now on the forefront of the environmental debate concerning the level of emissions from the two countries. As these two countries are undergoing a rapid development stage the amount of pollution in both countries continues to increase. “China’s rapid development, often touted as an economic miracle, has become an environmental disaster. Record growth necessarily requires the gargantuan consumption of resources, but in China energy use has been especially unclean and inefficient, with dire consequences for the country’s air, land, and water.” (Vig, pp 309)
The expectation that developing countries must engage in equal participation as developed countries in climate change issues is unfair in my opinion. “Developing countries point to Europe’s destruction of its forests during the industrial revolution and the widespread cutting in the United States in the nineteenth century. Why then should developing countries be held to a different standard than the developed one?” (Vig, pp 297)

Economic development entails the reduction of poverty and the ability of a nation to increase per capita income and improve the livelihood of the people. It would be unfair for industrialized countries to expect developing nations to place more emphasis on reducing emissions especially when industrialized nations are largely responsible for the current global climate problems.

Additionally, since industrialized countries have the financial capability to conduct research into sustainable practices and renewable technologies, developing countries should expect developed nations to share such technologies. In my opinion, some sort or mutually agreed upon technology transfer system would be helpful in ensuring renewable energy technologies are being put to good use.

Week 10

Week 10: March 22-28
Topic: Frameworks for Environmental Policy

Tasks:
- Readings: Chapters 1-8 in Cohen
- Post two weekly comments for participation

Assignment #4 - Part 1

“The federal government pointed with pride to a sweeping national database that identifies pollution-stricken poor and minority neighborhoods to help officials better target billions of economic recovery dollars.”

The system is called the Environmental Justice Strategic Enforcement Assessment Tool (EJSEAT). EJSEAT scores combine data such as cancer rates, poverty levels, child mortality, toxic emissions, education and racial characteristics, and density of industrial facilities. This allows for the environmental justice tool to service minority and poverty stricken stakeholders more efficiently and target economic recovery dollars more efficiently.

The system began as a vision after a 1994 presidential order urging government agencies to address the issues of identifying minority and poor neighborhoods with disproportionate pollution and environmental health issues. There were also concerns that many of the United States’ toxic and industrial sites are located in minority areas thereby increasing their risk to exposure. This environmental justice tool directly addresses the needs of the poor and minority groups across the nation.

Joel Rast’s article Environmental Justice and the New Regionalism regarding the smart growth policies talks about how a strategy for reframing the new regionalist debate is needed which, in a way, may resonate more with minority stakeholders. He further goes on the state that while the new regionalism calls for policies benefiting low-income, inner-city residents, in practice, it contains a profound suburban, middle-class bias. For the most part, inner-city minorities have not been provided with compelling reasons to engage in the new regionalist dialogue. This lack of engagement, in turn, perpetuates the failure of new regionalist initiatives to seriously confront the problem of inner-city poverty. The article directly addresses the author’s concerns of addressing the needs of the minority.

A second relevant reading is David M. Konisky’s article Inequities in Enforcement? Environmental Justice and Government Performance, talks about mass mobilization of minority groups in the 1980s protesting the siting of hazardous waste and unwanted land uses in low income and minority communities. Additionally, a nationwide study by the United Church of Christ’s Commission for Racial Justice (CRJ) brought further awareness to possible environmental inequalities. The CRJ study investigated the relationship between the location of hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities (TSDFs) and poor and minority communities, and demonstrated that as the percentage of these groups increased, so too did the probability of there being a hazardous waste facility in their area.

Reference:
"Environmental Justice" Tool in the Works
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/24/tech/main5186668.shtml

Week 8 Readings

Week 8: March 8-14
Topic: Global Environmental Issues

Tasks:
1. Readings:
- Chapters 12-15 in Vig
- Week 8 Articles on Blackboard under "Course Documents"
2. Post two weekly comments for participation
3. Assignment #5
- Posted Online: March 8 under "Assignments" on Blackboard
- Due Date: Sunday, March 28 (Midnight MST)

Week 7 Readings March 1-7

Week 7: March 1-7
Topic: The Greening of Industry & Sustainable Development

Tasks:
1. Readings:
- Chapters 10-11 in Vig
- Week 7 Articles on Blackboard under "Course Documents"

2. Post two weekly comments for participation

3. Assignment #4
- Posted Online: March 1 under "Assignments" on Blackboard
- Due Date: Sunday, March 14 (Midnight MST)