Meet the New Symbol of Climate Change
See on Scoop.it – Environment
By: Todd Woody (TakePart’s senior editor for environment and wildlife.) Forget the polar bear. The new face of climate change is a child with asthma.In proposing regulations today to slash carbon pollution from power plants by 30 percent, the Obama administration made it clear it will sell the United States’ most sweeping move to fight global warming as a critical health issue.EPA limits on coal emissions would save thousands of lives and billions of dollars.
“This is not just about disappearing polar bears and melting ice caps, though I like polar bears and I know about melting ice caps,” Gina McCarthy, the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, declared at a press conference this morning. “This is about protecting our health and our homes. This is about protecting local economies and jobs.”
“Rising temperatures bring more smog, more asthma, and longer allergy seasons,” McCarthy added. “If your kid doesn’t use an inhaler, consider yourself a lucky parent, because one in 10 children in the U.S. suffers from asthma. Carbon pollution from power plants comes packaged with other dangerous pollutants like particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide, putting our families at even more risk.”
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