Climate Change

It is time to quickly transition to a clean energy economy. We are in a downward spiral on climate, where human-generated impacts on the climate are causing more frequent and severe tornados, hurricanes, droughts, flooding, and fires. Despite the destruction, we continue pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, making the problem worse. Minnesota has taken steps forward in wind and solar, the new “clean car” rules, and energy efficiency. However, at the same time, Minnesota regulators authorized Enbridge to build the expanded Line 3 pipeline project which pumps enough tar sands oil to add more greenhouse gas emissions than the rest of Minnesota’s economy! We have limited time to stop our greenhouse gas emissions, yet we recently doubled them through the expanded capacity of this one pipeline.

Senator Marty has been pushing to establish and implement a plan to transition to a 100 percent renewable energy future that brings Minnesota’s economy to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. Several years ago, he introduced legislation to begin that process, SF 2526.

“Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do.”
 – Wendell Berry

Climate Change is Existential Threat to our Grandchildren and All of Humanity

This is serious business. Senator Marty’s legislation would require stopping Line 3 and shutting down other fossil fuel infrastructure long before their projected end-of-life. It would require huge changes throughout our economy – including agriculture and manufacturing. It would require converting our transportation system and reshaping building design & heating and cooling. It would require an end to single-use plastics and a system where virtually all our electronics and other products would be fully recycled into new products rather than thrown out.

For decades, scientists have been calling for bold action on climate. Senator Marty has pushed for environmental sustainability during his entire tenure in the Senate. But due to climate denial from President Trump, almost the entire Republican party and the clout of powerful corporate interests, we have made little progress. That needs to change now.

Several years ago, a report published by the National Academy of Sciences estimated a 1-in-20 chance that global temperatures could rise by 5° Celsius by the end of the century. That’s far worse than the 2° rise that the Paris Climate Accords committed to preventing.

It’s worse even than the catastrophic impacts that the report said a 3° rise would trigger. The report described a 5° increase as “beyond catastrophic” because it threatens the very existence of humanity.

One of the scientists involved said:

“To put [it] in perspective, how many of us would choose to buckle our grandchildren to an airplane seat if we knew there was as much as a 1-in-20 chance of the plane crashing? With climate change that can pose existential threats, we have already put them in that plane.”

That’s why Senator Marty considers the transition to a 100% renewable energy future to be one of the most important issues of our time.