The Rev. Woody Bartlett Georgia Interfaith Power 

### & Light EPA Testimony on Carbon Emissions

June 28, 2014- Atlanta, Georgia

I'm the Rev. Woody Bartlett, a retired Episcopal clergyman. Mywife and I co-founded Georgia Interfaith Power 

### & Light, some eleven years ago. It is now a $200,000 ayear private nonprofit that has over 500 partner congregations across the State of Georgia. We cover many different environmental issues but we are most focused on the harmful by-products ofthe ways we generate and use electrical power- namely carbon emissions.

This morning I want to tell you mystory and why Igot involved. I'm doingthis in the hope that it will add one morevoice to the chorus that is demanding that we do all in our powerto reduce our carbon emissions.

It started with me in the Spring of 1988, over 25 years ago. I was in San Diego for a conference
on poverty. By mistake I gotthere a day early. I had afree day in San Diego! So then what do you do? You go to the zoo, ofcourse.
I'd never been to the San Diego Zoo before. It is a beautiful place, with many exotic creatures exhibited in their natural habitats. There are just afew cages and bars. Mostly, it is animals with humans looking at them like so many honeybees around the first blossoms of spring.

As Iwandered along the pathways, my curiosity was piqued by a red triangle with a white Ein it atthe top right corner of manyofthe exhibits. Looking in my guidebook, Iwas startled to see that it meantthat that species was "Endangered." Then I noticed the explanation offto the side of each ofthose displays that told how and whythat particular species was so vulnerable. Almost all mentionedthe presence of humans as the prime cause. The red triangles then took on a blood-red hue. Finishing my tour ofthe zoo in the early afternoon, I went across the parkto the Natural History Museum. And wouldn't you know it; itfeatured a special exhibit on extinction. Icouldn't stay out of it. And ittold similar stories to those told in the zoo. And it claimed that 99% ofthe extinctions were caused by the direct or indirect presence of humanity! Finally, at the end of the exhibit, I was faced with one final chart. It read:
Rates of Extinction Before Man- one species perthousand years. During the age ofthe dinosaurs- 100 species peryear At the present time (1988) ten timesthat rate- that is, 1000 species peryear At that rate of increase- by the year 2000 (that is 14 years ago)- several species per hour or some 20,000 peryear The last line was the real shocker: "When humanity?"I was stunned. We are in a great extinction event that is harsherthan any that has come before -way harsherthan the extinction that wiped the mighty dinosaurs offofthe face ofthe earth. I did knowthat atthattime upto 90% ofthe existing species had disappeared. Ifthe collapse happened in theirtime, it could also happen in ourtime. And itcould take out humanitytoo. These are my children, my people, myflock. Myeyes misted up.
When I returned to Atlanta, Ichecked outthe claims at the zoo. There was fairly solid agreement. There were many different opinions about the mechanisms ofthis great collapse. But high on every list was the release ofcarbon, long stored underthe earth in coal and oil, released back intothe atmosphere in the form ofso-called greenhouse gases. And most of those are generated as we power our lives- condition our air, transport ourselves, grow our food, power our industry.
So at what cost do we live? Can we restrain the release ofthese greenhouse gases in some meaningful way? Icome begging thatthe proposed carbon pollution standards be adopted. I make this plea in the name of my people.