Media release - February 25, 2009
Statement of Steven Biel, Greenpeace Global Warming Campaign Director, on President Obama's Address to Congress
President Obama recognized last night that addressing global warming is not only vital for the planet, but also for the economy.
Global warming is an enormous threat to the economy and potential destroyer of wealth. We cannot have a healthy, prosperous America unless we get serious about confronting the threat of global warming and ending our dependence on fossil fuels.
In addition, the solutions to global warming--clean energy and energy efficiency--are tremendous job-creators. Already, more people are employed in the wind industry than in coal mining in the U.S., and investments in clean energy create three times more jobs than investments in fossil fuels. President Obama knows that if you're looking for economic stimulus and job growth, the smart money is on clean energy.
Specifically, we applaud President Obama's commitment to of double the supply of renewable energy over the next three years. We also applaud his call for legislation to cap emissions of global warming pollution in the United States. Given the latest science and the assessments of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, it is clear that to minimize the risk of global warming, the U.S. must cut domestic emissions from fossil fuel combustion by at least 20-25% by 2020.
VVPR info: Steven Biel, Greenpeace Global Warming Campaign Director, 202-319-2468