Wingspread Principles on the U.S. Response to Global Warming
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Great nations rise to great challenges. Today, no challenge is more critical than global climate change. It reaches to the core of humanity's relationship with the Earth. It tests our capacity to make intelligent changes in our economy, policies and behaviors in the interest of all people and all generations.
We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, believe that the United States must take immediate, comprehensive action against global warming, guided by these principles:
- Urgency: Global warming is real and it is happening now. Every year that we delay action to reduce emissions makes the problem more painful and more expensive - and makes the unavoidable consequences more severe. Leaders in government, business, labor, religion and the other elements of civil society must rally the American people to action.
- Effective Action: The U.S. must set enforceable limits on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to significantly reduce them within the next 10 years, and should work with other nations to achieve a global reduction in absolute GHG emissions of 60 - 80% below 1990 levels by midcentury. Experience proves that voluntary measures alone cannot solve the problem. Aggressive government action, including mandates based on sound science, is imperative and must be implemented now.
- Consistency and Continuity of Purpose: Climate stabilization requires sustained action over several decades to achieve deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions throughout the economy. With its frequent changes of leadership and priorities, however, the American political system does not lend itself to longterm commitments. Leaders in both government and civil society must shape policies and institutions that ensure sustained climate protection.
- Opportunity: Mitigating and adapting to global warming offer the opportunity to create a new energy economy that is cleaner, cheaper, healthier and more secure. We must awaken America 's entrepreneurial spirit to capture this opportunity.
- Predictability: Measures that signal investors, corporate decision makers and consumers of the certainty of future reductions are essential to change the economy.
- Flexibility: Deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions demand and will drive innovation. Our economy will innovate most efficiently if it is given the flexibility to achieve ambitious goals through a variety of means, including marketbased incentives and/or trading.
- Everyone Plays: Measures to stabilize the climate must change the behaviors of business, industry, agriculture, government, workers and consumers. All sectors and the public must be engaged in changing both infrastructure and social norms.
- Multiple Benefits: Actions to stabilize, mitigate or adapt to global warming should be considered alongside other environmental, economic and social imperatives that can act synergistically to produce multiple benefits - for example, "smart growth" practices that conserve forests and farmland while reducing the use of transportation fuels. Many actions to stabilize climate offer local, regional and national, as well as global, benefits.
- Accurate Market Signals: The true and full societal costs of greenhouse gas emissions, now often externalized, should be reflected in the price of goods and services to help consumers make more informed choices and to drive business innovation. Policymakers should eliminate perverse incentives that distort market signals and exacerbate global warming.
- Prudent Preparation: Mounting climatic changes already are adversely affecting public health and safety as well as America 's forests, water resources, and fish and wildlife habitat. As the nation works to prevent the most extreme impacts of global warming, we also must adapt to the changes already underway and prepare for more.
- International Solutions: U.S. government and civil society must act now to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions, regardless of the actions of other nations. Because greenhouse gas emissions and the effects of climate change are global, however, the ultimate solutions also must be global. The U.S. must reengage constructively in the international process.
- Fairness: We must strive for solutions that are fair among people, nations and generations.
| Peter Alexander Energy and Environmental Consultant |
Ray Anderson Chairman of the Board, Interface Inc. |
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| Rocky Anderson Mayor Salt Lake City, Utah |
Susan Anderson Director Portland Office of Sustainable Development |
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| Michael Arny President Leonardo Academy Madison, WI |
William Becker William Becker Executive Director Presidential Climate Action Project University of Colorado Graduate School of Public Affairs Denver, CO |
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| Ron Benioff Renewable Energy Policy Analyst Denver, Colorado |
Bob Berkebile, FAIA Principal BNIM Architects |
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| Scott Bernstein President Center for Neighborhood Technology |
George Burmeister President Colorado Energy Group, Inc. Boulder, Colorado |
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Board of Directors Local Government Commission
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| Dr. Michael D. Bertolucci President Interface Research Corp. |
Hillary A. Brown, AIA LEED AP Principal New Civic Works |
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| Peter Butzloff Ph.D., Materials Science Independent Consultant: Engineering and Sustainable Materials |
Christina L. Byrnes Intern Architect TVS Architects Atlanta, GA |
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| Anna P. Campas, A.I.A, P.E., LEED AP Senior Structural Engineer NYS Office of General Services-Design and Construction |
Eileen Claussen President Pew Center on Global Climate Change |
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| Kimberly Coffeen Architect, LPA Inc. Irvine, CA. |
Chip Comins American Renewable Energy Day Carbondale, CO |
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| Kevin V. Connors PE, AIA, Principal Kevin Connors & Associates Buffalo, NY |
David Cooperrider Professor and Chair Department of Organizational Behavior Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management Cleveland, Ohio |
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| Dana Cole Engineering Geologist Los Angeles, California |
Larry Craig Former Director of Sales and Marketing Siemens Medical Systems |
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| Roger Duncan Deputy General Manager Austin Energy Austin, Texas |
ELS Architecture and Urban Design Board of Directors Berkeley, CA |
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| Christine Ervin President Christine Ervin/Company www.christineervin.com |
S. Richard Fedrizzi President and CEO U.S. Green Building Council |
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| Paul Noel Fiorino Unaffiliated candidate for Governor of Colorado www.fiorinoforcolorado.com |
Pliny Fisk III Fellow - Sustainable Urbanism Fellow - Center for Health Systems Design Joint Appointment - Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning Texas A&M University - College Station Co-Director, Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems Austin, TX |
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| Peter M. Flannery Designer Flannery's Green Guide Boston, MA. www.flannerysgreenguide.com |
Professor Jon Foley Director Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment University of Wisconsin-Madison |
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| Lindsay Franta RMI/ENSAR Built Environment Boulder, Colorado |
James Frazier, CEO Bridging The Gap Kansas City, MO |
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| Peter C. Fusaro Chairman, Global Change Associates New York, NY www.global-change.com |
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| Pete Gang, Architect, LEED-AP Principal, Common Sense Design Co-Chair, Redwood Empire Chapter, USGBC Instructor, Green Building Professional Certificate Program, Sonoma State University School of Extended Education |
Boyd Gibbons President The Johnson Foundation |
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| John Gitchell www.SustainableBusinessSolutions.net Fort Collins, Colorado |
Vern Goehring, PE, LEED AP Senior Electrical Engineer HDR - ONE COMPANY |
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| Michael Goodson President ResourceOne Telecom, LLC |
Rob Gramlich Policy Director American Wind Energy Association |
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| Irina F. Gutiérrez-Llenza EGBPR-USGBC Architect The Office of Marvel & Marchand Architects, LLP 161 San Jorge St. Suite 200 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00911 |
Edna Echandi Guzmán, EGB-USGBC Architect Marvel & Marchand Architects, LLP San Juan, Puerto Rico |
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| Kathleen Hadley Executive Director National Center for Appropriate Technology |
Margie J. Haley Sustainable Dallas, Co-chair Dallas, TX www.sustainabledallas.org |
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| Robert Harris, AIA, LEED AP Partner Lake/Flato Architects San Antonio, Texas |
Maureen Hart Sustainable Measures |
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| Jim Hartzfeld Managing Director InterfaceRAISE, LLC |
Steve Harvey CEO Cleantegrity (214) 437-9928 |
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| Susan Hassol Climate Analyst and Author Basalt, Colorado |
Marshall Herskovitz The Bedford Falls Company Santa Monica, CA |
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| Karen Holmgren Earth Charter Communities USA |
Mel Jones CEO Sterling Planet |
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| Thomas J. Kemper President & Founder Dolphin Blue Inc. and Co-Chair and Founder of Sustainable Dallas Dallas TX |
Helen J. Kessler, FAIA, LEED A.P. Principal HJKessler Associates, Inc Chicago, IL |
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| M. Dennis Knight, P.E. Engineer, Building Scientist A Voice for the Future Charleston, South Carolina |
Dennis M. Knobloch Village Administrator Village of Valmeyer, Illinois |
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| Ronal W. Larson, PhD Chair, Board of Directors American Solar Energy Society |
Chris Laszlo Partner and co-founder Sustainable Value Partners, Inc. |
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| Jonathan Lash President The World Resources Institute |
Gary Lawrence Global Urban Strategy Leader Arup |
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| Audrey James Levine CEO Paradigm Nouveau Enterprises, LLC |
Rick Levine COO CO2Reduction.net |
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| Adolfo Danilo Lopez, AIA, PhD LEED AP TCB / AECOM Dallas TX 75207 |
L. Hunter Lovins, Esq President Natural Capitalism Solutions |
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| Mindy S. Lubber Executive Director Ceres |
Michael C. MacCracken, Ph.D. Chief Scientist for Climate Change Programs Climate Institute Washington DC |
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| Bruce Maine Sustainable Design Consultant LEED Accredited Professional Professional Associate HDR Architecture Omaha, Nebraska |
Milenko Matanovic Executive Director Pomegranate Center; Issaqua, WA |
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| Sandra McCardell,
LEED AP, ZERI 2005 President Current-C Energy Systems, Inc. Denver |
Bill McKibben Middlebury College Organizer, Step It Up |
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| Gertrude Miller Co-Founder of the Jewish Environmental Voice in Austin(JEVA) Austin, Texas |
Lou Miller Executive Director Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Sonoma State University |
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| Phil Mitchell Founder 2People |
Renato A. Miranda President MIRANDA Y NASI CONSULTORES LTDA Sustainable Buildings Consultants Republic of Chile South America |
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| Chris Moss President, Moss Real Estate Group Inc. www.mossgreenrealty.com |
Guy Nelson Resource Engineer Utility Forum Connection |
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| Michael Nicklas, FAIA Past President, International Solar Energy Society Past Chair, American Solar Energy Society President, Innovative Design Raleigh, NC |
Pat O'Donnell President/CEO Aspen Skiing Company |
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| David Olsen Former President and CEO Patagonia, Inc. |
Professor David Orr Chair Environmental Studies Program Oberlin College |
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| Judy Patterson Principal Judy Patterson Design |
Jonathan Patz, MD, MPH Associate Professor and Director Global Environmental Health Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE) Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and Dept. Population Health Sciences University of Wisconsin (at Madison) |
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| Matt Petersen President and CEO Global Green USA |
Jane Poynter Author and President Yogi & Co., a multi-media production company |
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Captain Stephen T. "Tim" Quigley, Jr., USN (Ret.) Executive Director/CEO Volunteer Center of Silicon Valley, Inc. |
Paul Raskin, Ph.D. President, Tellus Institute 11 Arlington Street Boston, MA 02116 | ||
| Gordon T. Reynolds PE, CSI, LEED Senior Designer Benchmark Group Rogers, Arkansas |
Dan Richardson Global Warming Project Manager City of Aspen |
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| Dan Robinson Global Warming Activist Eugene, Oregon |
Jeannette Rullan, AIA,NCARB, LEED AP Principal RMA Architects, PSC San Juan, Puerto Rico USGBC Caribbean Chapter Educational Committee Chair |
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| Rob Sargent Energy Program Director, Environment America 44 Winter Street Boston, MA 02108 www.EnvironmentAmerica.org |
Christina N. Sarkees, IIDA, LEED AP Zagrodnik + Thomas Architects, LLP San Diego, CA |
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| David Schaller Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives (ZERI) Denver, CO |
Larry J. Schweiger President & CEO National Wildlife Federation |
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| Judi G. Schweitzer, MRED, AMDP President Schweitzer + Associates, LLC Lake Forest, CA |
Thomas R. Scott, Ph.D. Vice-President for Research San Diego State University |
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| Trinity Sell Graphic Designer Waggener Edstrom Worldwide |
Cindy Pollock Shea Director, Sustainability Office UNC Chapel Hill |
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| J. Gayle Smith President Vanguard Environments, Inc. Houston, TX |
John W. Spears, CEM, LEED A.P. President International Center for Sustainable Development |
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| James Gustave Speth Dean Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies |
Bob Steimle, AICP Senior Planner Tetra Tech RMC, Inc. |
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| Randall Swisher Executive Director American Wind Energy Association |
Mike Tidwell Director Chesapeake Climate Action Network |
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| Charles B. Tomlinson, Jr., AIA, LEED(r) AP Principal Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC Philadelphia, PA |
U.S. Green Building Council Board of Directors www.usgbc.org |
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| Heidi VanGenderen Senior Associate Wirth Chair for Environmental and Community Development Policy |
Walter Venable Alternative Engineering Computer Programmer Durango, CO 81303 |
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| Ute B. Wallner, AIA, CSI TIGER Drylac Powder Coatings Ontario, CA |
John R. Wells Strategic Planning Director Minnesota Environmental Quality Board |
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| Carol Werner Executive Director Environmental and Energy Study Institute |
Richard E. White Sustainability Alliance of Southwest Colorado Durango, Colorado |
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| John F. Williams Senior Vice President National Director - Governmental Consulting and Planning HDR Engineering, Inc., New York |
Morgan Williams Co-Founder Student Hurricane Network |
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| C. L. Winter, Ph.D. Deputy Director National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder, CO |
Virginia ("G") Winter Managing Principal Equinox Consultancy LLC Denver, CO |
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| Doug Wood Sandra Karlsvik The Organic Sunflower Foundation |
Michelle Wyman Executive Director ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, U.S.A, Inc |
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