WWF Statement on Senate Climate Bill

WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--
The Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (S. 3036) today failed
to garner a 60 vote supermajority necessary to advance the legislation
in the U.S. Senate. However, the 48-36 vote in favor of proceeding
marked a significant shift in political support for addressing climate
change, said Dr. Richard Moss, vice president of climate change at
World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Moss noted that six senators who missed the vote today, including
the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees for president,
issued statements saying they would have voted yes had they been
present, bringing to 54 the number of senators who supported advancing
the bill. Moss issued the following statement following the vote:

"The Senate's consideration of the Lieberman-Warner Climate
Security Act this week marked a significant milestone in the effort to
turn the tide on global climate change. Fifty-four senators, including
Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), publicly expressed
their support for advancing the strongest climate change bill to ever
come before Congress. And in a clear sign of the changing political
climate in Washington, ten senators who opposed the previous climate
bill in 2005 voted in favor of advancing Lieberman-Warner - a much
stronger bill.

"While I applaud the advances we've seen, we need immediate
concrete actions to reduce emissions. Time is not on our side. Last
week, the administration released two reports examining current and
future impacts of climate change. The reports indicated that we are
already feeling the effects of climate change in every region of the
country. And these will only worsen with each additional political
cycle of inaction.

"As we delay, we further load our atmosphere with greenhouse gases
and place ourselves in greater jeopardy. We cannot afford to sit on
the sidelines. We must continue to refine our approach to combating
climate change.

"During debate on Lieberman-Warner, WWF worked to build support
among key senators for important provisions that will help us reduce
climate change and prepare for its impacts by supporting a global
treaty on climate change, funding international adaptation, combating
tropical deforestation, and improving climate change science. WWF also
gathered a coalition of 11 major corporations in support of cap and
trade legislation, sending a powerful message that addressing climate
change is completely consistent with robust economic growth.

"We are also focused on encouraging the U.S. to show leadership in
the negotiation of a new international climate treaty that will start
the global community on the path to avoiding catastrophic climatic
change. In the near-term, we must reduce emissions in the U.S. through
measures such as energy efficiency - which offers the greatest
opportunity for immediate reductions while providing considerable
savings to consumers - and developing renewable energy sources.

"We do not have time for further delay. We must seize every
opportunity to ensure a cleaner, safer, more secure future."

Read more about our work on climate change:
www.worldwildlife.org/climate.

ABOUT WORLD WILDLIFE FUND:

For more than 45 years, WWF has been protecting the future of
nature. The largest multinational conservation organization in the
world, WWF works in 100 countries and is supported by 1.2 million
members in the United States and close to 5 million globally. WWF's
unique way of working combines global reach with a foundation in
science, involves action at every level, from local to global, and
ensures the delivery of innovative solutions that meet the needs of
both people and nature. Go to worldwildlife.org to learn more.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
Joe Pouliot, 202-778-9730
joe.pouliot@wwwfus.org

Copyright Business Wire 2008