Why N.M.’s carbon cap matters

The Sierra Club supports the existing carbon-cap law passed by the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board (EIB) in 2010.

Gov. Martinez made campaign promises to end these safeguards, and she started by firing the old EIB in her first week on the job. She replaced them with people who are portrayed as pro-business but are truly anti-people, as they do not support environment improvement as the name of the board indicates. The Sierra Club opposes the Petition to Repeal Rule 20.2.100, the regulations to reduce greenhouse gases. The overwhelming consensus among climate scientists is that rising global temperatures are primarily the result of human activity—specifically, increased heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere, primarily carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels. Climate scientists predict that with rising temperatures, New Mexico will experience increased frequency of drought, which we are already seeing.
With increased drought, there will be inadequate water to support agriculture and our
cities. Forest fires will become more frequent.

Far from eliminating these rules, New Mexico and other jurisdictions should move with haste to reduce greenhouse-gas pollution consistent with what the best science indicates is needed to avoid catastrophic climate change.

Here is one chapter member’s testimony to the EIB: Excerpts of Dec. 7 public testimony to EIB by Mona Blaber:

My name is Mona Blaber. I live here in New Mexico. I’m not here for the environment. I’m here because of my 5-year-old daughter, and every child.

I understand why you are considering repeal of the two carbon-reduction plans your predecessors approved last year, and I understand why PNM and other plaintiffs are appealing them.

I’ve seen all the economic analyses. PNM and the plaintiffs found economists who would say these plans would hurt the economy and lose jobs, and the Environment Department, back when it was true to its name, and New Energy Economy had economists that found they would help the economy and create jobs.

What none of them refer to are studies done this year, by mainstream and one by traditionally conservative economists, saying that coal costs far more than its value added to the economy. The American Economic Review in November published a study saying that health and pollution damages from coal cost up to 5.6 times its value added (American Economic Review Study), making coal likely the most expensive source of energy. That tells us that every New Mexican pays much more for coal than the amount on our utility bills. Transitioning to renewables would save New Mexicans far more money than business as usual would.

Plaintiffs say this plan won’t matter much to the Earth. I hope and believe that’s because they don’t know the scope and urgency of this crisis. Most people don’t, and none of us want to believe it. It sounds crazy to say we may be forcing Armageddon on our children. But the Earth doesn’t care what we believe. It just keeps hurtling toward disaster, and the warnings of nearly every climate scientist fall on deaf ears because we don’t want to believe them. If you knew that our children and grandchildren face a constant struggle to secure water and food and to avoid pandemic illnesses and violence, if you knew how quickly and aggressively every state, including New Mexico, must act -- within about five years -- to avoid the worst catastrophic impacts, you’d be trying your hearts out to find ways to reduce emissions as quickly as possible. That is what a group of people called the Environmental Improvement Board would do, what any human being with a soul would do, if you truly knew the consequences.

I understand the plaintiffs’ point of view and that they think that repealing these rules won’t make much difference in the big picture. But you’d realize that’s a sick and cynical excuse to do nothing when our children’s lives depend on doing everything possible. I’m submitting one article (http://bit.ly/w2HbGK); it’s what scientists have been saying for quite a while but most people aren’t aware of, and I think it explains pretty well why the League of Women Voters, scientists, teachers and 200 youth are here tonight to support pollution reduction; we’re here because there is only one right thing to do; because, as hard as it is for all of us to believe, civilization is at stake.