### Public Hearing: Carbon Pollution Standard for Future Power Plants 

### Speaker: Daniel Lee 6113 SKimbarkAve, #3S Chicago IL 60637 

### Scheduleddateandtime. 24 May2012, 0950-0955 

### Representing: Physicians for Social Responsibility ll l l
- 14th St. NW, suite 700 Washington, DC 20005 

### In whatcapacity At-large board member 

### Summaryofcomments: Iwould like to preface my remarks by reviewing some basic givens:
• The earth is undeniably in awarming phase, with the worldwide average temperature currently 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit higherthan it was a century and a quarter ago. • The rate ofwarming is accelerating and, as a result, most ofthis increase has occurredwithin the pastfew decades, with 11 ofthe past l 2 years among the dozen warmest on record since l 850.
• The primary cause ofthis global warming trend is the increasing level ofcarbon dioxidein the atmosphere, which in turn is the result of human activities creating it at a much faster rate than plants and oceans can absorb it. In otherwords, we have knocked a key global equilibrium out of balance, and have done so to theextentthat even ifcarbon emissionswere reduced to pre-industrial levels today, the warmingwould not immediately stop, let alone begin to reverse itself. Among the most devastating consequences ofglobal warming is climate change, aterm which includes the increasing incidence ofever-morepowerful hurricanes, heatwaves, wildfires, and other natural disasters.
In addition tothese relatively transient, short-lived types ofcatastrophes, severe and long-lasting droughts are transforming an increasingly large proportion ofthe earth's surface from arable land to deserts, potentially resulting in food insecurity in many parts ofthe world and higherfood prices everywhere. There is even evidence suggesting that global warming may, paradoxically, trigger a mini-ice age in Western Europe dueto permanent alterations in the oceans' circulation patterns.
A report on future health costs associated with these climate-changerelated occurrences thatwas published in thejournal Health Affairs late lastyear focused on several public health concerns. Among those most pertinentto those living in this part ofthe country are: • More ozone pollution episodes leading to an increase in emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and premature deaths as a result of reduced lung function and airway inflammation;
• Longer, more intense, and more frequent heatwaves, which increase stress onthe heart, lungs, kidneys, and other organ systems leading to, once again, emergency departmentvisits, hospitalizations, and premature deaths;
• The emergence ofinfectious diseases previously notfound in the area-for example, it is thoughtthatthe appearance ofWest Nile virus in the United States was linked to changing climatic conditions.Fortunately, thanks tothe work ofdedicated scientists, public health and health care practitioners, environmentalists, activists, elected and appointed officials, and the membership ofentities such as the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the information that I'vejust relayed is widely known and, to a large extent anyway, accepted as accurate.
What I think is avery positive consequence ofthe dissemination, understanding, and general acceptance ofthis information, gloomy as it is, is that we are seeing large numbers of people taking at least some measure of personal responsibility for global warming and changing behavior accordingly. I'm talking about reducing one's carbon footprint by doing everything from converting to more efficient lighting, appliances, and cars to designing and constructing green buildings to using bicycles and public transport to commute.
And while Idon'twant to downplaythese things, and applaud the genuine sacrifices made by some in the name of saving the planet, this type offragmented, piecemeal, and inconsistently implemented approach is not enough. Not by a long shot.
What is needed, and what has been missing in our country up until now, is meaningful collective action toward achieving some measure of control overthe source of global warming: carbon pollution. This rule presents the first real opportunityfor us to dothat as a society, and I wholeheartedly support it. Let us not fiddle and dither and delay and remain indecisive any longer. Please implement and then rigorously enforce the Carbon Pollution Standard for New Power Plants.