Interview with U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman
Congressman Henry Waxman represents California’s 30th District spanning from Malibu to West Hollywood. He is the author of the Safe Climate Act, recently introduced in Congress.

There are plenty of other big battles in D.C., why global warming?

Global warming is simply one of the most important issues facing our planet. I worked for a decade to pass legislation to strengthen the Clean Air Act. I’ve worked for longer than that on global warming. Now, as people are seeing the effects of global warming all around them, there is a new sense of urgency and an opportunity to make progress. The American people are ready to join the rest of the world in tackling this problem. The President has failed to act on this issue, which is why we need strong leadership in Congress.

What concerns you most about this issue?

Every year that we fail to act will make solving the problem that much harder. CO2 remains in the atmosphere for a century or more. If we start soon, we can make a difference. If we continue to wait, it may be too late to avoid irreversible warming and its effects, such as increases in sea level, heat waves, droughts and wildfires. We know what to do and it’s time to get started.
You used to hear that the science wasn’t in on global warming.

Are you still hearing that, and if so, how do you respond?

Scientists agree that the earth is warming, and that humans are causing it. The national academies of sciences from the U.S., Britain, China, and India, issued a joint statement to this effect last year. There are still a few DC-based outfits funded by ExxonMobil and other big energy companies that try to manufacture doubt, but they are largely irrelevant. All credible debate is over.

What does your Safe Climate Act do?

The Safe Climate Act sets targets and requires the actions that will be necessary to avoid dangerous, irreversible warming of our planet. It freezes the level of emissions of greenhouse gases in 2010, and reduces emissions by 2 percent per year through 2020. The Act also reduces emissions by 5 percent per year through 2050. By 2050, emissions will be 80 percent lower than in 1990. The bill achieves these ambitious targets through a flexible economy-wide cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas emissions, together with requirements for more renewable energy and energy efficiency, as well as cleaner cars.

Who’s lining up for your bill, and who’s against it?

The positive response to this bill has been amazing. Over 60 members of Congress have already asked to be cosponsors. So far we haven’t heard any opposition. I imagine that oil companies will oppose the bill.

We’re seeing enthusiasm from all political walks of life. How do we build more bipartisan support in D.C. for global warming solutions?

The Republican leadership in Congress has had no interest in global warming. Partially, it’s because they have so con-sistently taken their cues from President Bush. Partially, it’s because of the big energy companies with whom they have aligned themselves. The American people know that global warming is not a partisan issue. So the American people will have to convince the Republicans that they cannot ignore this issue any longer. Whether we’re Democrats or Republicans, we all live on the same planet.