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Lend your support to the Clean Power Plan

As early as 2003, during the Bush-Cheney years, the Pentagon stated that climate change seriously threatens national security. Recently, the Washington Post reported on the Pentagon’s National Security Strategy in February 2015: “It is clear that climate change is an urgent and growing threat to our national security, contributing to increased natural disasters, refugee flows and conflicts over basic resources such as food and water. These impacts are already occurring, and the scope, scale and intensity of these impacts are projected to increase over time.”

One industry most concerned about climate change is the property insurance business, specifically reinsurers. Reinsurers are multinational companies providing risk management for smaller insurance companies. Re-insurers, like Munich-Re and Swiss-Re, have studied the increasing frequency and damages caused by natural disasters and are in agreement with the overwhelming scientific evidence of the seriousness of climate change. If left unchecked, related insurance costs could amount to 20 percent of GDP by the end of this century, assuming likely tipping points do not worsen the outcome. Understanding the serious risks of non-action, there are no climate change deniers in the reinsurer industry.

Finally, like with the bailing out of our largest banks, once again U.S. taxpayers are on the hook when damages become too large. Due to subsidized rates and low industry participation, the federal government is now the largest provider of flood insurance for Americans living in coastal and flood-prone areas. Not acting on climate change will only result in increased damages and costs.

That’s why we need the Clean Power Plan. Its goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants, while giving each state the choice how to achieve it (http://www.ucsusa.org/our-work/global-warming/reduce-emissions/what-is-the-clean-power-plan#.VlDpC3arRdg). Colorado, due to its renewable energy mandates enacted by forward-thinking elected representatives, is better off than most states and can easily meet its reduction goals. Please support the Clean Power Plan.

Werner Heiber

Durango



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