Environment North Carolina statement on Carbon Disclosure Project
Roundtable
Raleigh—Treasurer Richard Moore and corporate leaders from
Progress Energy, Duke Energy, Wachovia, Bank of America, and RBC Centura announced
their participation and support today for the Carbon Disclosure Project, an
independent non-profit organization that tracks implications for shareholder
value and commercial operations presented by climate change.
At a morning roundtable discussion, corporate leaders noted
the individual steps their companies are taking to reduce their global warming
emissions over time. Treasure Moore
lauded North Carolina’s new law
that requires more renewable energy and energy efficiency, cutting global
warming pollution by an estimated 13 million tons annually.
Environment North Carolina
applauded state government and corporate leaders for starting down the path to
reduce carbon emissions. The science is
clear that much more aggressive global warming pollution reductions are needed
to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
When it comes to global warming, there’s a lot at stake for North
Carolina.
Scientists predict that global warming will cause sea levels to rise by
one and one- half foot or more before the century’s end, causing our coastline
as we know it to disappear. Warmer seas will produce more severe tropical
storms and hurricanes—causing damage to the Outer Banks and coastal towns and
more floods throughout the state.
Many scientists and policy-makers recognize a 3.6?
Fahrenheit increase in global average temperatures over pre-industrial levels
as a rough limit beyond which large-scale, dangerous impacts of global warming
would become unavoidable. To avoid that
increase, scientists believe we need to reduce global warming emissions by 80
to 90 percent by mid-century.
North Carolina
leaders should adopt a goal of reducing global warming pollution in the state
by 10% or more by 2020, and 80% or more by 2050. At the same time, the state’s Congressional
Delegation should support the Safe Climate Act of 2007 (HR 1590) which would
establish similar, science-based limits nationwide.
