Legislation+of+Global+Warming

In the battle against global warming, several organizations have entetered the fray and fought to have landmark, and not so impressive, legislation passed. Thugh other nations, and the united states, seem to be dedicated to the cause and have comitted to goals in regards to reducing emissions and the like, the actual legislation that has come of it more or less present ideas, and ask for support and goal-setting, rather than implementing straight-up action. As the problem continues to rise, and new information and research also becomes apparent, the legislation changes as well to suit the growing, ever-changing problem at hand. Just to name a few pieces of key legislation, and the organizations that produced them.... = __Organizations!__ = =EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)= The EPA is a government agency that works against global warming. Formed under the Nixon Administration in 1970, the EPA has worked to protect the environment by writing legislation and enforcing regulations. The EPA is a perfect example of how government and science work together in order to combat the problem of climate change; of the 17,384 EPA employees, about half of them are scientists or engineers. Also employed are legal experts and public affairs personnel. In fact, the administrator of the organization (Lisa P. Jackson) is currently serving as a cabinet member of Barack Obama’s. Essentially what the organization does is assesses the environment and then determines what regulations should be put into place in order to protect it. The EPA has the power to fine or sanction businesses that they find to be violating the regulations. Aside from dealing with climate change, the EPA is also involved with regulating pesticides, drinking water, air quality, and pollution, to name a few issues. Some legislation that the EPA has been involved in is the Clean Air Act (a recent Supreme Court decision ruled that the EPA has the right to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles as per the Clean Air Act), the Safe Drinking Water Act (wherein the EPA is designated the power to set quality standards for drinking water), and the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (which has businesses submit notification to the EPA that they’ll be manufacturing and selling chemicals to consumers for the EPA‘s approval) to name a few examples. Clearly, the EPA plays an enormous role in the government’s attempts to address global warming and other environmental problems), and is an excellent example of science and government working together. = = =IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)= == The IPCC (or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) is an intergovernmental organization set up by the United Nations in 1988. The main role of the IPCC is to release and circulate reports that they write in regards to climate change. The IPCC actually does not do any of its own research, but rather has thousands of scientists from all over the world contribute literature to the IPCC, which then reviews the literature and uses the research in its reports if it sees fit. The IPCC is another great example of how government and science go hand in hand in regards to climate change; while the IPCC has no real power to regulate environmental matters, the IPCC provides policy-makers and governments with information about climate change and suggestions to combat the problem. As the IPCC website puts it, “by endorsing the IPCC reports, governments acknowledge the authority of their scientific content.”

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
= = Focusing on both oceanic and air-related condition controls, the NOAA is involved in the battle against global warming as well. This organization strives to create a better understanding of the conditions of earth, which includes education on issues such as the rising levels of greenhouse gases, and also works so that enhanced education will also lead to greater economic and governmental efficiency regarding the environmental issues that face our ecosystem today. Specifically, concerning global warming, the NOAA hopes that people will begin to understand the effects that it will have on the planet and that the world will realize that action needs to be taken sometime in the near future. The NOAA works to keep up-to-date information, including climate levels, to hopefully keep the public informed on how specific environmental issues are affecting the earth, and analyzes collected data to form predictions about what may happen - for example, to predict rising climate levels. Disregarding the oceanic aspects of the organization, the NOAA is also linked with the National Weather Service, which furhter helps to deliver the messages and inform the public on it's findings - in particular, about global warming. =See International Efforts to Combat Global Warming for information on the UN. = = = = __Legislation!__ = = = =The 2010 Kerry-Lieberman Senate Bill (Draft) or American Power Act= ** Senator John Kerry, MA Senator Joseph Lieberman, CT ** Recently, Senators John Kerry and Joseph Lieberman unveiled their 987 page energy bill, which contains several provisions regarding the issue of global warming. This bill, which is still undergoing changes, is supposed to better the quality of air that we breathe, create jobs, as well as establish America as a leader in the push for the global clean energy economy. In this attempt to improve our world, it is planned that consumers will still come out on top, and it aims to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil while reducing emissions and creating a future full of 'clean' energy. The bill, overall, recognizes the danger of global warming and strives to reduce the danger - or, at least, decrease the effect that humans themselves have on it. Some of the key points of the bill include provisions to invest in clean energy research, including "renewable energy technology, advanced vehicle technologies, and carbon capture and sequestration", encourage the use of America's Natural Gas by "requiring public disclosure of chemicals used in the production of natural gas" and, perhaps one of the vital regarding the issue of global warming, reducing transportation emissions. Environmental issues are tied in as well, though one of the key targets for this bill seems to be the issue of global warming - as the bill plans to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and several other heat-trapping greenhouse gases by 17% by the year 2020, and by more than 80 percent by 2050. However, the 987 page bill is, thus far, only a draft. Several Environmental organizations, such as the Sierra Club, have shown support for the bill, while others felt that the provisions it gives are still not satisfactory. Regardless, it seems fairly unlikely that the Senate will act this year, due to a reluctance to spend so much money to combat the effects of global warming when other issues are at hand.

Air Pollution Control Act (1955)
**What the Act strives to control**. Largely considered to be the first American Clean Air Act, the Air Pollution Act of 1955 was one of the very first pieces of legislation to address the issue of air pollution. As air pollutants are a threat to humanity, and affect the impact of global warming as well. However, the act did not really encourage actual action. It stressed the importance of research, being informed on the issue of air pollution, and help find ways to combat the issue - however, it set no course for action. Setting the framework for the Clean Air Act to come in 1963, the Air Pollution Control Act, while setting no actual provisions, kicked off what would become a far more detailed battle against air pollution and the growing threat of global warming. =Clean Air Act (1963 - onwards)= **What the Clean Air Act promotes.**

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First drafted in 1963, the Clean Air Act calls for the EPA (or Environmental Protection Agency) to regulate the emission of greenhouse gases, and also states that the EPA must regulate air pollutants that present any form of danger to human welfare. It is one of the first major provisions to the fight against global warming, and a major piece of early environmental legislation dealing with the issue. Though the Act has since been amended, in 1966, 1970, 1977, and 1990, the general idea remains the same, though provisions were added to include the effects of acid rain, as well as ozone depletion - one of the provisions that specifically deals with global warming. Recently, in 2006, the Act was called into contest when Massachusetts filed suit against the EPA, claiming that it wasn't performing efficiently in it's regulation of pollutants, and needed to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from new vehicles and the like. In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled in favor of Massachusetts. The Act is a federal law, but it is mainly carried out by the individual states depending on the needs of the specific territories in regards to global warming protection. Additions, such as the Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act, have been added over the years to address subsuquent problems, such as the issue of vehicular emission of greenhouse gases. All plans that the states have in regards to the Act must be approved by the EPA, however, and the public must be notified of the plans as well.======

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)
In conjunction with the Clean Air Act, the National Ambient Air Quality Standard, as it's name implies, sets standards for air quality across the United States. There are two disticnt standards that should be met - primary and secondary. Primary standards are set to protect general human welfare, especially children, the elderly, and those with respiratory conditions, and secondary standards protect public welfare, such as crops and domestic animals. However, overall, the standards are set to protect from the dangers of global warming as a whole. The six air contaminants/pollutants that have standards set for them include carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone, particulate matters, and lead. These standards, as required by the Clean Air Act, are set by the EPA, and strive to decrease ozone depletion while simultaneously protecting human welfare as a whole.

=National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs)=

For dangerous pollutants that do not fall under the NAAQS (which is a fairly lengthy list), yet are still cause for concern in regards to human and environmental welfare. As it is also in conjuction with the Clean Air Act, the EPA is required to set these standards. There are two categories of standards here as well - MACTs, or maximum achievable control technology, and GACTs, or generally available control technology. As implied by the names, MACTs involve maximum reduction of the emission of certain air pollutants, while GACTs tend to involve less strict or severe standards, due to less severe practices affiliated with them. Asbestos is one such pollutant that falls under the NESHAPs, as it presents clear risk to human health.