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Community Corner

Three Lakeville Residents Head to D.C. to Lobby Congress about Greenhouse Gases

A delegation of 4 CCL members of the South Metro group—three residents of Lakeville and one resident of Eagan—will be attending the Citizens Climate Lobby Fourth International Conference on June 23-25.

Editor's Note: This is a press release from the South Metro-CD2 chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby. Information about the CCL is available at http://citizensclimatelobby.org/.

Concerned that future generations will inherit a harsh and unforgiving world because of climate change, volunteers from the South Metro-CD2 chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby are traveling to Washington, D.C. this week to ask that Congress enact effective legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“We’re already seeing the impact of chaotic weather caused by climate change here in Minnesota,” said Lakeville resident Veda Kanitz, of the South Metro chapter of CCL. “We’ve had 1.5 degrees of warming in the Midwest.  Imagine what things will be like mid-century if we allow the projected 5 degrees of warming.”

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A delegation of 4 CCL members of the South Metro group will be attending the Citizens Climate Lobby 4th International Conference, June 23-25. Renowned climate scientist Dr. James Hansen, who recently retired from NASA to devote more time to advocacy on the climate issue, will be the keynote speaker at the conference. 

Volunteers will spend the final day of the conference visiting congressional offices to enroll support for a revenue-neutral carbon tax that gives proceeds back to households. Such an approach is backed by a number of conservatives, including former Secretary of State George Shultz and Art Laffer, economic advisor to President Reagan.

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“We want Senators Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar as well as CD2 Congressman John Kline to get behind this solution. It uses the power of the free market to transition us away from fossil fuels and toward clean sources of energy like solar and wind,” said Cindy Linafelter. “This is the most pressing problem facing our nation and our world. That’s why we’re going to Washington this week.” 

Last month, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide – the principal greenhouse gas – exceeded 400 parts per million for the first time in 3 million years. If CO2 emissions are not brought down soon, that concentration will exceed 450 ppm within two or three decades, at which point it will be difficult, if not impossible, to contain global warming to levels that are adaptable.

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