Groups Call on President Bush and Congress to Fight Global Warming, Not the War in Iraq
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Brent Blackwelder, Friends of the Earth
Groups Call on President Bush and Congress to Fight Global Warming, Not the War in Iraq
The Iraq War Surge Will Consume Resources Essential to Dealing with Global Warming
STOP THE BUSH WAR SURGE IN IRAQ
Open Letter to President Bush and Congress:
In addition to the basic arguments against the war in Iraq and in particular about the proposed surge of a U.S. presence in Iraq, the undersigned environmental organizations wish to point out that continued expenditures on this war are undermining needed efforts to combat the most urgent threat faced by human civilization—global climate change.
Scientific findings in the past two years highlight alarming events that endanger our planet. Greenland’s rapidly-melting ice sheet could mean sea rising sea levels of over 20 feet and the Siberian tundra, which contains enormous quantities of the potent greenhouse gas methane, is rapidly melting and starting to release this gas. People around the world are already suffering from the initial consequences of global warming and the World Health Organization estimates it is the cause of160,000 deaths a year.
Humanity is on a dangerous course. The U.S. is the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases but has refused to take decisive action at the national level.
The U.S. needs national leadership to bring about reductions in our greenhouse gas pollution by means of a rapid and dramatic shift to clean, renewable energy along with a push for energy efficiency in all areas. Our nation’s dependence on foreign sources of oil is responsible for this war and civil unrest around the world.
The failure of national leaders to take action on global warming stands in sharp contrast to the U.S. leadership that emerged on environmental issues in 1970 under President Nixon. With the passage of 30 major laws in the U.S., other nations looked to our country as the environmental model. This is certainly no longer the case.
The war in Iraq has already cost $400 billion, with some estimates being greater than double this amount. We must stop devoting precious financial resources to this misguided war and instead focus on solving the problem of global warming, which threatens our well-being as a country as well as the rest of the world.
Signed,
Friends of the Earth
Climate Crisis Coalition
Greenwood Earth Alliance
Winding Waters Group, Sierra Club
Organic Consumers Association
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