Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise to talk about one of the solutions to one of the driving forces behind global climate change; that is, deforestation. After fossil fuel combustion, deforestation is the single largest contributor to human-induced climate change, but the exciting thing is that we have proven cost-effective solutions at hand that can go a long way in addressing this problem. Forests in the United States and around the world provide important services to people--services that are not adequately or appropriately valued by the free market, creating a market failure. These services include many things that we all take for granted--clean air, clean water, wildlife habitats, and long-term carbon sinks that absorb and sequester carbon pollution for years. Because these functions of a healthy forest ecosystem don't have a dollar sign attached to them, they are often not incorporated into decisions made by businesses, consumers, and governments, but just because they don't have a pricetag does not mean they are without value. In fact, the 2008 study pegged the cost of deforestation to the global economy at between $2 trillion and $5 trillion per year. As the U.S. Forest Service put it, ``When our forests are undervalued, they are increasingly susceptible to development pressures and conversion. Recognizing forest ecosystems as natural assets with economic and social value can help promote conservation and more responsible decisionmaking.'' I agree.…”