The League of Women Voters devotes these pages to a special call for action by the next Administration on four priority issues: climate change, which threatens our environment, our economy and public health; our health care system, which currently leaves 47 million Americans uninsured, while wreaking havoc on the economy because of skyrocketing costs; our immigration system, which has not addressed the status of 12 million unauthorized immigrants living and working in the United States and is incapable of dealing with either legal or illegal immigration; and the growing inequality in wealth and incomes that threatens the very fabric of our society, turning the United States into a land where the rich keep getting richer and everyone else struggles just to get by. The League believes significant progress is possible on each of these four issues. It’s time to stop the partisanship and political wrangling. It’s time for real action to build a better, stronger America—a nation that is true Published in 2008.

This article from the LWVUS Climate Change Taskforce defines climate change, reviews international as well as U.S. federal and state responses to this global issue, and takes a look at what’s ahead. Published in 2007.

Following on our cover story on climate change, this article from the LWVUS Climate Change Taskforce focuses on greenhouse gases (GHG) that are affecting the changes in our climate. It presents nine basic energy concepts and key strategies for reduction of GHG emissions, using technology that is commercially available today and projected to be available by 2030. Published in 2007.

Published in 2007.

The League of Women Voters released a fact sheet describing and explaining the details of how climate change will affect the midwest. Leagues in the Midwest should be alert to opportunities to use this information in their lobbying in favor of climate change legislation. Published in 2009.

Policymakers evaluating strategies for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have two general approaches to consider. A cap-and-trade system curbs emissions by limiting the quantity of a pollutant (e.g., carbon dioxide [CO2]) that can be emitted and then allocating a corresponding number of tradable emissions permits to sources covered by the program. A carbon tax curbs emissions by raising the price of fossil fuels based on their carbon content. Each approach has advantages and disadvantages, and a well-designed system of either type will be more effective than a poorly designed system of the other type. Published in 2009.

Earth’s climate system is dominated by positive feedbacks—mechanisms that cause global warming to accelerate as the temperature is increased by human burning of fossil fuels and destruction of forests. There is a real danger that a tipping point could be reached within decades, when large and rapid changes beyond our control could occur —with catastrophic consequences. Published in 2009.

Published in 2008.

Coal is Earth’s must abundant conventional fossil fuel and is being mined and burned at increasing rates to produce electricity, with especially rapid growth in China and India. While coal is the cheapest fossil fuel (if health and environmental impacts are not considered), continuing to burn it without capturing and storing the carbon dioxide produced will cause serious damage to Earth’s climate system – and is a disaster in the making. Published in 2008.

A panel discussion about the State of Climate Change featuring experts talking on a variety of subjects. Published in 2008.