December 19, 2007
As the earth heats up and the polar ice melts, President Bush may be siting on his haunches, but all over the country other citizens -- politicians, states, localities, ordinary people -- are responding. There is civic movement on the issue of climate change.

The Progressive Connection has been investigating what concrete actions on climate change are happening in our community. Here is what we found.

Most of Michigan's electricity currently comes from polluting coal-burning power plants, and the purchase of out-of-state coal drains billions from the Michigan economy.

In January, 2007 Governor Granholm brought out the Michigan 21st Century Energy Plan, which supports Michigan's energy independence and economic development by reducing reliance on fossil fuels, increasing energy efficiency and using more of the state's renewable energy resources.

At the very same time the governor released her plan to promote green energy, Michigan's largest electric power companies have come out with proposals to build seven more coal burning power plants. They are making these proposals even as Michigan's demand for electricity has leveled off and even though other states have rejected construction of new coal-burning power plants (Kansas, Texas). New coal plants in Michigan are vigorously opposed by Clean Energy Now -- a coalition of eight Michigan environmental groups -- under the rallying cry "no coal rush." The coalition argues that wind energy, a leading renewable resource in Michigan, is both clean and cheaper than coal in the present market.

Meanwhile, in the Michigan legislature the House Energy and Technology Committee is about to report out a package of energy bills that will go a long way to determine Michigan's energy future. Environmental groups and utilities are furiously lobbying over these bills. At issue are how much effort Michigan will put into improving energy efficiency, how much renewable energy will be tapped, and what kind of planning will be required before companies can get approval to build new coal-fired generating plants. Citizens who want to help tip the balance in favor of a "greener" package of bills can contact Jan O'Connell at jan.oconnell@sierraclub.org, or 616-956-6646, or Gayle Miller at gayle.miller@sierraclub.org.

More.

Did you think the recent film "The Day After Tomorrow" was a fictional account of global warming consequences, or that things like ten or twenty foot rises in sea level and the rapid onset of a new ice age would never happen in your lifetime? Well, think again.

You can now expect rapid, drastic, and even cataclysmic climate change in the next few years, even as early as next year, given the facts revealed in several recent reports. The conditions depicted as a tipping point or trigger in the popular movie "The Day After Tomorrow" are now all but fait accompli.

Here's why. If the North Atlantic off the coast of Greenland gets flooded all at one time with too much fresh water from melting glaciers, it will stall the normal mechanism that drives the Gulf Stream. . . . More.

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