Climate Change Legislation in Maryland
– Step-It-Up Rally Demands Immediate Action
Chris Yelton
There was an Asian elephant, a coral reef, a Komodo dragon, and a
Siberian tiger. There were teens wearing t-shirts that read
“I’m Here to Save the Planet” and one
dressed as “just a kid in Atlanta who is running out of
water.”
That’s how Broadneck High School Environmental Club students
interpreted the call to “dress up as your favorite endangered
species” at a Step-It-Up rally on November 10, calling for
immediate action on climate change legislation in Maryland. The crowd
of 50+ gathered at Annapolis’ Newman Park as part of a
nationwide call for leadership in the battle to combat the worst
effects of global warming.
Across the country, rallies targeted presidential candidates, a year
from election day, but the Maryland rally focused on local action. The
Maryland Climate Change Commission, appointed by Governor
O’Malley to study what changes need to be made in Maryland,
was to deliver its interim report on November 14th and the Global
Warming Solutions Act will be introduced in the legislature in the 2008
session. “We’re in the process of making big
decisions. But the luxury of time for talking and debating has
passed,” said Cherie Yelton, a rally organizer, Sierra Club
member and coordinator for the Alliance for Global Warming Solutions.
David Prosten, chair of Sierra Club Anne Arundel Group, emceed the
event. He called on Governor O’Malley and our elected
officials to adopt Smart Energy Solutions, to be aggressive in meeting
the goals of 20% reduction in carbon output by 2020 and an 80%
reduction by 2050, the numbers climate scientists agree would forestall
a catastrophic climate event.
Annapolis City Alderman, Sam Shropshire, sponsor of the
City’s proposed plastic bag ban, told the crowd,
“If the world doesn’t do something about global
warming, Annapolis will be under water! The mayor and the city council
intend that this city will set the example for the rest of Maryland in
the fight against global warming.”
He recited a long list of actions the City of Annapolis has taken to
“green” its operations including changing stop
lights to LEDs and implementing commercial curbside recycling, and put
the responsibility on us to “convince the County and the
State of Maryland to do the same.” Mr. Shropshire serves on
the City’s Environmental Matters Committee and participates
in ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives),
an association of governments that have made a commitment to
sustainability.
The group photo taken at the end of the rally was submitted to
Step-It-Up for streaming to Congress and will also be sent to all
Maryland senators and delegates asking them to pass the Global Warming
Solutions Act when the session starts in January.
The Maryland bill is based on the California bill. Three states have
already passed similar bills: California, New Jersey and Hawaii.
Maryland is a member of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI),
as is New Jersey, and a bill passage by a second RGGI state would go a
long way toward pressuring other RGGI states to pass global warming
solutions bills.
The rally was organized by members of the Sierra Club Cool Cities
Program and Chesapeake Climate Action Network and is just one part of
the Alliance for Global Warming Solution’s “Month
of Action” that includes town hall meetings, house parties,
rallies and letter-writing campaigns across the state.
The Alliance is a compendium of environmental, health and faith-based
groups devoted solely to the passage of the Global Warming Solutions
Act ( www.allianceforglobalwarmingsolutions.org. )
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