Dozens of Iowans will march across central Iowa later this week and call on lawmakers to address the issue of global warming. Joe Richie, with the Sierra Student Coalition, is helping organize the walk from Ames to Des Moines August 2nd through the 5th. Coalition members hope to meet with Iowan along the way and encourage them to conserve energy, but simply turning off lights, walking more and driving less.
"But that’s not going to get us where we need to be," Richie says, "so in addition to taking on the personal responsibilities to reduce our own impact on the environment, we need to be calling together for comprehensive policies at every level of government." The coalition is asking lawmakers to commit to reducing global warming pollution 80 percent by 2050.
Richie says, to make that happen, America needs to build a "clean energy economy" – using energy sources like wind power rather than coal. The march will culminate with a rally in downtown Des Moines on Sunday. One of the featured speakers will be Iowa native, James Hanson.
Hanson is NASA’s lead climatologist, and Richie calls him "the world’s best known scientist, when it comes to global warming." Interested Iowans can learn more information about the week’s events, or register to march, by visiting www.ClimateSummer.org .