What brings a Reverend from Montgomery County, a business owner from Baltimore, a doctor from Johns Hopkins, and a junior from the University of Maryland, College Park to Annapolis on a snowy day in January? The answer: global warming.

Annapolis, MD—What brings a Reverend from Montgomery County, a business owner from Baltimore, a  doctor from Johns Hopkins, and a junior from the University of Maryland, College Park to Annapolis on  a snowy day in January? The answer: global warming. Today this diverse group joined an estimated 350  or more Marylanders in front of the State House for the largest environmental rally in recent memory to  ask Governor O’Malley and the General Assembly to pass the “Global Warming Solutions Act” in the  2008 legislative session. At the rally, bill sponsors Senator Paul Pinsky and Delegate Kumar Barve  cheered on 18 of their fellow legislators to “walk the green carpet” and co-sponsor the bill.

The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008 would require Maryland to reduce its global warming  pollution 25% by 2020 and 90% by 2050 as cost-effectively as possible, as recommended by the  Maryland Commission on Climate Change. These targets, based on what scientists recommend is  necessary to avoid the worst impacts of global warming, would be the strongest in the nation.  

“Marylanders turned out today by the hundreds because they understand that now is the time to act  decisively on global warming,” said Claire Douglass, Maryland Director of the Chesapeake Climate  Action Network. “Addressing global warming will help clean up the Chesapeake Bay, stimulate the  economy, and usher in a clean energy revolution. Today citizens demonstrated that they are ready to stand  up and demand this hopeful future for Maryland.”

“This is the beginning of a new era for Maryland,” said Brad Heavner, Executive Director of  Environment Maryland. “No longer are we going to ignore the global warming impacts of our actions. It’s  time to follow the science and do what we need to do.”

Cindy Schwartz, Executive Director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters said: “Right now,  Maryland’s elected officials have an enormous opportunity — some would say a responsibility — to take  action on global warming and make Maryland a national leader on what is certainly the most important  environmental issue of our time.”

The Alliance for Global Warm Solutions applauded the Commission on Climate Change’s draft  recommendations released in December as “visionary,” and the coalition was specifically pleased to see  the commission recommend aggressive targets to reduce global warming pollution. The targets are  bolstered by recommendations for a major new energy efficiency program and increases to the state’s  renewable energy standard that illustrate the commission’s commitment to implementing the plan  quickly. However, advocates describe the recommendations as “missing the mark” regarding  transportation and reducing the amount of vehicle miles traveled in the state.

Baltimore business owner Ted Rouse told the attendees: “We believe it is possible for business to make a  profit and be responsible for our impact on planet Earth. I am pleased to tell you that the locally owned  business members of Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance are proud to be a force for environmental  sustainability.”

Dr. Cindy Parker, Co-Director of the Program on Global Sustainability and Health at the Johns Hopkins  Bloomberg School of Public Health, spoke to the crowd and said: “Climate change is the greatest threat to  our public health we’ve ever faced, compromising the quality of our air, water, and everything around us  we rely on to maintain our health.”

Public Perceptions about Global Warming    

In a 2007 Washington Post poll, 86% of respondents said they think global warming will be a serious  problem if nothing is done to reduce it in the future, and a majority think global warming is the single  biggest environmental problem the world faces at this time. In addition, 70% think the government should  do more than it’s doing now to try to deal with global warming. (Washington Post/ABC News/Stanford  University http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/polls/postpoll_environment_042007.html April  10, 2007 Sample: 1002 adults nationwide)

Impacts of Global Warming 

•  Maryland, with its 3,100 miles of tidally influenced coastline, is highly susceptible to negative  impacts from global warming. 

•  Global average temperatures increased by more than 1.4 ° F in the past century. Sea level is rising,  ice and snow cover are decreasing, and storm intensity has increased. 

•  World average temperatures could increase by another 3 to 7° F above late 20th century levels by  the end of this century, depending on future emissions of global warming pollutants. Sea level  could rise by between 11 and 17 inches, threatening low-lying coastal areas.

The Alliance for Global Warming Solutions, which organized today’s rally, held global warming town  hall meetings across the state last fall and has delivered more than 18,000 citizen postcards to the  O’Malley Administration asking for targeted reductions of greenhouse gases. The Alliance for Global  Warming Solutions is composed of health, faith, business, environmental and community groups working  together to find solutions to this global crisis. Visit www.alliancemd.org for more information.

The Commission on Climate Change holds a public meeting this afternoon from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at  the Department of Natural Resources Conference Room C-1, 580 Taylor Avenue, Tawes State Office  Building, Annapolis, MD 21401.

###

Contacts 

– Alliance for Global Warming Solutions, Cherie Yelton, clyelton@comcast.net, 443-254-1602 

– Audubon Naturalist Society, Mike Harold, mharold@audubonnaturalist.org, 301-652-9188 

– Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Claire Douglass, claire@chesapeakeclimate.org, 240-396-1985 

– Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance, Keith Losoya, Keith@CSBAlliance.org, 410-342-1482 

– Environment Maryland, Brad Heavner, bsh@environmentmaryland.org, 410-467-0439 

– Lutheran Office on Public Policy, Lee Hudson, messiahodsq@netzero.net, 410-935-3696 

– Maryland League of Conservation Voters, Cindy Schwartz, cschwartz@mdlcv.org, 240-535-6050 

– Sierra Club – Maryland Chapter, Dave O’Leary, daveol@earthlink.net, 301-277-7111 

– Dr. Cindy L. Parker MD, ciparker@jhsph.edu, MPH, 410-493-4571 

– Reverend Lee Hudson, messiahodsq@netzero.net, 410-935-3696