Policy Statements » Letters from the President:
October 2, 2006
The Honorable Representative Sherwood Boehlert
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington , DC 20515
Dear Chairman Boehlert:
On behalf of the Ecological Society of America, I would like to commend your leadership in addressing the issue of climate change during the recent Climate Institute's Washington Summit on Climate Stabilization.
We applaud your effort to engage, educate, and involve all parts of society in addressing climate change: the general public, scientists, politicians, and business leaders. Your initiative in asking the National Academy of Sciences to look at historical temperature records displayed uncommon courage and recognition of the reality of climate change. Climate change is a nonpartisan issue affecting everyone, and addressing climate change sooner rather than later needs to become a priority for government at all levels. As your talk highlighted, waiting to take action on climate change until “scientific certainty” exists will have disastrous consequences not only for the environment, but also for national security, the economy, and the public welfare.
Your commitment to raising Corporate Average Fuel Economy is especially praiseworthy. Implementing fuel economy standards would signify a great step toward reducing the nation's greenhouse gas emissions.
Thank you for showing such leadership on the issue of climate change. Your strong words and constructive actions about one of the most significant challenges facing our country means a great deal to the ecological community. The Society looks forward to supporting your efforts to raise awareness and combat climate change.
Sincerely,
Alan Covich
President
