Climate Summit Draws Scientists, Business and Religious Leaders

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http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-26-09.html

CLIMATE SUMMIT DRAWS SCIENTISTS, BUSINESS AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS

WASHINGTON, DC, June 26, 2001 (ENS) - A coalition of community leaders -

representing more than 100 million Americans and over $300 billion in annual

revenues - gathered Monday at a Citizens Summit on Climate Change to urge

lawmakers to slow global warming.

" We come from different backgrounds and perspectives, but we all agree that

global warming is one of the century's most pressing environmental, economic

and ethical concerns, " said Ris, president of the Union of Concerned

Scientists. " All segments of society have a responsibility to act, and our

government, including both the Congress and the Bush administration, should

lead the way. "

About 40 business executives, religious leaders, economists and scientists

from 12 key states are attending the three day Citizens Summit, which

includes workshops, an interfaith service, and meetings with congressional

representatives and their staff. The sponsoring organizations' members

include faith groups such as the United States Catholic Conference and the

National Council of Churches of Christ, and businesses such as Enron,

Honeywell, Lockheed , Maytag, and York International, as well as

scientists conducting research on climate change.

" To be faithful stewards of the Earth, we must curb global warming, " said

Gorman, executive director of the National Religious Partnership for

the Environment. " The United States is disproportionately responsible for

the global warming problem. As a result, our nation has a moral obligation

to lead the response. "

At the summit, 12 state petitions signed by more than 800 scientists were

sent to Capitol Hill calling for stronger congressional leadership and

policies to stem global warming. The scientists agree that an unprecedented

consensus exists among the world's climate change community that global

warming is underway.

The scientists are convinced that enough is known about global warming to

warrant bold action to prevent the worst consequences of a warming climate.

" Businesses across the country have demonstrated that reducing carbon

emissions will not threaten economic growth, " said Marvin, president

of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy. " In fact, clean energy

technologies could substantially slow climate change while cleaning the air

and creating more jobs. "