Political Quotes

“Madam President, pick up the paper these days, and it is hard to miss the headlines about corporate America getting serious about reducing carbon emissions. Companies are purchasing renewable power. They are moving into carbon-neutral office buildings. They are purchasing electric vehicle fleets. They are developing new technologies and products for the transition to a carbon economy. Many are forcing some degree of sustainability out of their supply chains. All of this is important work and the companies that are leading in these areas deserve real applause. But--you knew there was going to be a ``but,'' and here it is-- corporations alone reducing their own carbon emissions or designing new low-carbon technologies will not win the fight against climate change. If you want to fail on climate change while looking good, that will work, but if you actually want to win--if you want to keep us between 1.5 and 2 degrees in temperature increase--you will fail. A new report, ``The Blind Spot,'' from the Environmental Defense Fund, makes crystal clear that individual corporate efforts to reduce their own carbon emissions will not be enough. Here is what it says: ``While voluntary actions by companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are important, only public policy can deliver the pace and scale of reductions necessary to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.'' ``Public policy''--that is us. That is Congress. EDF is not alone.…”