On January 25th, the International Climate Change Taskforce (ICCT) released its long-awaited report, “Meeting the Climate Challenge.”  As Co-chair of the ICCT, along with the Right Honorable Stephen Byers of the United Kingdom, I believe these report recommendations represent a fresh opportunity to move forward to address climate change mitigation and adaptation, so as to face head on one of the gravest environmental threats of the 21st century.  I am optimistic that the Taskforce report will help raise the profile of the potentially disastrous impact of climate change over the next few decades and will lead to the United States' re-engagement in international cooperation and action with the G8 and developing countries to confront this potentially devastating phenomenon.   

            Our planet is at risk.  Scientific assessments show that the snows of Kilimanjaro could vanish in 15 years and that glaciers in the Bolivian Andes may disappear in another 10 years.  In Alaska, the average temperature has risen almost five and a half degrees over the past 30 years, and there is evidence of melting permafrost and dying forests.  Many coastal communities face rising sea levels, and the reduction in sea ice will allow higher waves and storm surges to reach shore. 

            Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are higher today than they have been in 400,000 years, boosted by increased emissions of  manmade greenhouse gases since the beginning of the industrial revolution.  Over the last decade, scientists have noted an extreme jump in temperatures when compared to the last 1,000 years.  Indeed, the overwhelming scientific evidence that warming trends are real and cannot be ignored.  General climate change, including more severe weather events, droughts, and temperature swings are already being noticed in Maine, the United States and around the world.  This threatens wildlife species living in narrow ecosystems and ultimately impacts human beings, whose survival is inextricably tied to the health of our environment. 

            The urgent action required to win the battle against this problem can only happen with strong political leadership, and I certainly understand that tackling climate change is politically difficult.  However, scientific uncertainty does not condone political inaction.  First, there is a mismatch between the potentially unpopular decisions that need to be taken now and the environmental and economical benefits that can be achieved in the mid- and long-term.  Secondly, no country acting on its own can resolve the issue as our atmosphere knows no borders, signifying a problem that is global in nature.

            Our independent international Taskforce, with its diverse membership from both developed and developing countries, has been able to find common ground and overcome the hurdles inherent in international efforts.  I consider its report a blueprint for discussion and action to reduce anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases, which a vast majority of scientists cite as the major cause of climate change.  We must build upon the steps many governments have been taking to address the threat of climate change under the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which was ratified by the U.S. Senate at the urging of the first President Bush.  The recommendations are challenging, but practical and realistic, and I hope that leaders in our country and abroad will recognize their responsibilities to the people they represent by agreeing to concerted international actions to tackle climate change.

          A key finding of the Taskforce is the need to create a "G8+ Climate Group", which would include the G8 and other major economies, including large developing countries, that could pursue economically sound technology agreements and related initiatives aimed at large reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.  The report also includes several provisions I have pushed for, including greater use of biofuels from cellulosic materials, performance-based incentives for greater energy efficiencies (for instance, for new commercial buildings and homes), for obtaining more of our electricity from renewable sources through renewable portfolio standards - Maine already requires that 30 percent of its electricity come from renewable sources - and requiring greater fuel economy for vehicles to decrease gasoline usage, just to name a few. 

          I am committed to leading the charge to address climate change not just internationally, but also domestically.  To help spur discussion on the Taskforce recommendations, I sent a letter to all of my Senate colleagues on January 27th, urging them to join me in devising ways to implement the aims of the report.  In the coming months, I will be introducing various pieces of legislation that will correspond to the Taskforce recommendations. 

            As this issue continues to be publicly discussed, I look forward to working with climate change experts and policymakers from this country and around the world to raise awareness of the threat of climate change, to address the pressing need to confront the problem here and abroad, and to reverse a trend that continues to affect economies and the environment on a global scale.