Obama Speaks at Interfaith Climate Forum

Barack Obama addressed an interfaith audience about climate change, according to the AP article excerpted below:
By AMY LORENTZEN DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama said Sunday that his religious beliefs influence his plans for how to protect theenvironment.Speaking before religious leaders and others at what he called an"interfaith forum on climate change," the Illinois senator said God has entrusted humans with the responsibility of caring for the earth, and "weare not acting as good stewards of God's earth when our bottom line puts thesize of our profits before the future of our planet." "It is our responsibility to ensure that this planet remains clean and safeand livable for our children and for all of God's children," he told about200 people gathered at the downtown public library. "But in recent years, science has made it undeniably clear that our generation is not living up tothis responsibility. Global warming is not a someday problem, it is now."Last week, Obama released a plan to combat global warming that calls for an 80 percent reduction in U.S. carbon emissions by 2050.Obama said he would force industries and power companies to clean up theiroperations. He would institute a "cap and trade" approach that would require polluters to buy allowances, essentially putting a price on pollution andcreating an incentive to cut emissions.He said $150 billion from the sale of allowances could help drive thedevelopment of environmentally friendly technologies, including the next generation of biofuels, expansion of a delivery infrastructure andfuel-efficient vehicles."We've heard promises about energy independence from every single presidentsince Richard Nixon, but we are actually more dependent on oil today than ever before," he said.Obama said many of his rivals have talked about the issue but "have taken apass on it in years in Washington."He said he would ask the biggest carbon-emitting nations join the U.S. increating a global energy forum to develop climate protocols. He would alsoshare clean energy technologies with all nations.Obama also challenged individuals to do their part to help the environment, and he called for making government, businesses and homes 50 percent moreenergy efficient by 2030. He said he wants all federal government buildingscarbon neutral by 2025.
Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 22 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.htmEnjoy discounts on energy saving products at http://www.shopipl.org/.