Environment Iowa : Think we can't stop global warming? Wanna bet?

 Nathaniel Baer,
Enviornmental Iowa

 You know what I ran across the other day while surfing the
web? I found a website that will let you place bets on the effects of global warming.
You can put money on the year you think polar bears will go extinct or whether
or not Manhattan
will be under water by 2012.

 I don't know about you, but I'd rather create solutions than
gamble on problems. Getting 20% of our electricity from clean, renewable energy
sources by 2020 is an awfully smart place to start.

 Since I first wrote you about this last week, already over
3,000 people have contacted their representative in support of a bill that will
do just that. Thank you! Our elected officials need to hear from all of us,
though.

 Click on the link below or copy and paste it into your web
browser to tell your representative not to gamble with the future of our
planet:

 https://www.environmentiowa.org/action/energy/petition?id4=ES

 Background

 America's
energy situation today is less secure than it has been in recent memory. Our
domestic production of oil peaked decades ago and our production of natural gas
may be peaking now. As a result, we import more of our energy than ever before,
leaving our energy supplies and national security vulnerable to political instability
abroad. We have ample supplies of coal. 
But mining coal causes severe environmental damage and burning it
releases large amounts of air pollution; which contributes to global warming,
acid rain, mercury contamination and unhealthy air.  Nuclear power has been tried and found
wanting for economic, environmental and public safety reasons.  And virtually every year, Americans consume
more and more energy.

 Right now, America
is failing to take advantage of our almost unlimited potential to generate electricity
from renewable sources of energy like wind and solar power. 

 * The wind blowing through the Great
Plains could generate enough electricity to power the entire
country. Wind power installations in the United States have doubled over the
last four years, and wind power is among the cheapest sources of new power
generation in some parts of the country.

 * Solar energy could conceivably generate more than enough
electricity to power the entire United
States. The cost of solar panels has declined
dramatically in recent years and solar power installations worldwide nearly
doubled between 2002 and 2004. Continued advances in solar technology could
bring solar power within reach of more Americans within the next several years.

 * Plant-based sources of energy, called “biomass,”
already provide a substantial amount of energy in America and can provide even more.
A federal advisory group has set a target of having biomass account for 5
percent of industrial and electric generator energy use by 2020.

 * Immense amounts of energy are contained within the earth.
Experts estimate that as much as 100,000 megawatts of geothermal power — equal
to about 10 percent of today's electricity generation capacity — could be
economically viable in the United
States.

 Thankfully, America
is the most technologically and economically advanced nation in the world,
blessed with vast natural and intellectual resources. Our nation has a track
record of responding to major challenges and achieving unthinkable goals. If
any nation in the world is capable of creating an energy system that can fuel
our economy while preserving our environment and our long-term security, it is
us.

 For America
to retain our economic vigor, national security and environmental health, we
must build toward a New Energy Future — one based on homegrown,
environmentally friendly energy sources and the sensible use of energy
throughout the economy. We have the tools to achieve a better energy future —
in the technological prowess of academia and industry, the cutting-edge public
policies now being pioneered in states across the country, and in our vast
reserves of energy from the sun, wind and crops.

 The technology to tap those resources is advancing rapidly
and is increasingly competitive in cost with fossil fuel technologies.  And, momentum around renewable energy
policies is building.  Already, 22 states
have already adopted policies requiring utilities to increase their use of
renewable energy.  But, we need to make a
national commitment to dramatically increase the amount of renewable energy we use
to generate our power.

 We're asking citizens to join us in calling on Congress to
adopt a Renewable Electricity Standard that would require that utilities generate
at least 20 percent of their electricity from clean, renewable sources by 2020.

 Wind power could provide as much as 30 percent of America's electricity by 2025 and possibly more
as new technologies and practices allow for us to successfully integrate more wind
power into America's
electricity mix.

 Solar and geothermal power can combine to produce another 12
percent of America's
electricity, while an assortment of other renewable technologies — ranging
from solar hot water heaters to geothermal heat pumps — can also make an
important contribution.

 Additional renewable energy could be generated using new
technologies such as wave and tidal power or by achieving technological improvements
that would enable us to expand our use of other renewable energy sources.

 Click on the link below or copy and paste it into your web
browser to tell your representative not to gamble with the future of our
planet:

 https://www.environmentiowa.org/action/energy/petition?id4=ES

 Sincerely,

Nathaniel Baer Environment Iowa Advocate NathanielB@environmentiowa.org
http://www.environmentiowa.org