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On the Issues
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Climate Change
On December 5, 2007, by a vote of 11-8, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee favorably reported "The Lieberman Warner Climate Security Act" to the full Senate with a bipartisan list of cosponsors. This is the first time in U.S. history that a bill mandating economy-wide reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions has been reported out of committee in the Senate or the House. On June 2, 2008, the Lieberman Warner Climate Security Act (now S.3036) was brought up for debate before the full U.S. Senate. Although further progress was blocked during a procedural vote on June 6th, 54 Senators expressed their desire to move forward with strong, economy-wide, cap-and-trade climate legislation. The work accomplished this year lays a foundation for efforts by Congress and the new President to deal with this urgent challenge. Key DocumentsClick here for the full text of the Boxer-Lieberman-Warner Substitute Amendment to the Lieberman Warner Climate Security Act (S. 3036). Click here to see how the "Boxer-Lieberman-Warner Substitute Amendment" allocates emission allowances. TimelineOn January 12, 2007, Senator Lieberman reintroduced the groundbreaking Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act (S. 280) with Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and a bipartisan list of cosponsors.
The ProblemScientists began closely examining man-made climate change in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They observed that the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere had been increasing steadily since the industrial revolution, and that the rate of increase was becoming much more dramatic. Higher atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are warming the atmosphere and thereby disrupting the climate. The most recent assessment by the Nobel-prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that if we fail to begin substantially reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, the global average surface air temperature will increase by three to seven degrees Fahrenheit by the end of this century. As a result, sea levels will rise, snow cover will contract, and sea ice will recede. Heat waves will become more frequent. Hurricanes and typhoons will become more intense. Many millions more people will be exposed to flooding while hundreds of millions of people will be exposed to increased water stress as a result of decreased melt-water from glaciers and snowpack. Periods of forest fire risk and the size of burned areas are projected to increase. By the time these impacts are fully felt, it will be too late to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. What Can be DoneAnalyses by the IPCC, as well as consulting firms such as McKinsey and Company, also find that it is possible for us to make the reductions in greenhouse gases needed to prevent the most catastrophic effects of climate change. The IPCC concludes that stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations "can be achieved by deployment of technologies that are either currently available or expected to be commercialized in coming decades." Because greenhouse gases remain in the atmosphere for long periods of time and technology takes time to deploy, the sooner we start reducing emissions and incentivizing technology, the easier it will be to achieve the overall goal of protecting both the economy and our environment. The Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act captures this opportunity using a "cap and trade" framework. The bill places limits (a "cap") on the greenhouse gas emissions of regulated companies. This cap, which gradually tightens over time, ensures that the bill achieves the emissions reductions needed to protect the environment. Companies can then buy and sell ("trade") allowances to emit greenhouse gases. Companies that can't reduce emissions as cheaply can purchase allowances from others who have found cost-effective solutions. The result is that market forces harness American ingenuity to find the most efficient path to reduced emissions. The Lieberman Warner Climate Security Act also works hard to ensure that the technologies needed to meet the requirements of the cap are available. The largest portion of the proceeds from the auction of allowances goes towards the domestic development of low and zero carbon technology. The cap-and-trade scheme in the bill further accelerates technology development by placing a price on carbon dioxide emissions. This strong market signal encourages investments in these new energy technologies. Additional provisions in the bill ensures that the cap-and-trade market functions smoothly, that other countries will also begin to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, that consumers will be protected from any increased energy costs, and that workers will have assistance in transitioning to newly created green jobs. Are you a student interested in helping stop global warming? Check out the "track a bill" page on "The Red, White and Blue Project" to see how Senator Lieberman's Climate Change legislation is progressing.
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Federal Resources
Bill Tracking |
Senator Lieberman is widely recognized as a leading Congressional champion of legislation to curb global warming. In 1998, he joined the late Senator John Chafee (R-RI) in introducing the first market-based Senate legislation for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. In 2003, he and cosponsor Senator John McCain (R-AZ) forced the first-ever vote in the full Senate on a bill requiring cuts in global-warming pollution. On June 27, 2007, he and Senator John Warner (R-VA) 
