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3 <br /> U.S. Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration and <br /> Resolution <br /> WHEREAS, there is a consensus among the world's leading scientists that global <br /> warming caused by human emission of greenhouse gases is among the most <br /> significant problems facing the world today; <br /> WHEREAS, documented impacts of global warming include but are not limited to <br /> increased occurrences of extreme weather events (i.e., droughts and floods), <br /> adverse impacts on plants and wildlife habitats, threats to global food and water <br /> supplies — all of which have an economic impact on communities and their local <br /> governments; <br /> WHEREAS, leading scientists have projected that stabilization of climate change <br /> in time to minimize such impacts will require a reduction of global warming <br /> emissions to 80 percent below current levels by the year 2050; <br /> WHEREAS, currently the United States is responsible for producing <br /> approximately 25 percent of the world's global warming pollutants; <br /> WHEREAS, many leading U.S. companies that have adopted greenhouse gas <br /> reduction programs to demonstrate corporate and operational responsibility have <br /> also publicly expressed preference for the federal government to adopt precise <br /> and mandatory emissions targets and timetables as a means by which to provide <br /> a uniform and predictable regulatory environment to encourage and enable <br /> necessary and long-term business investments; <br /> WHEREAS, Congress and the Administration have strengthened the U.S. <br /> Corporate Average Fuel Economy ("CAFE") standard for cars and light trucks; <br /> WHEREAS, state, regional and local governments throughout the United States <br /> are adopting emissions reduction targets and programs and that this effort is <br /> bipartisan, coming from Republican and Democratic leadership; <br /> WHEREAS, the U.S. Conference of Mayors has endorsed the U.S. Mayors <br /> Climate Protection Agreement, which commits cities to reduction of global <br /> warming emissions to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012, and calls for a <br /> federal limit on emissions; <br /> WHEREAS, the State of California has mandated statewide reduction of <br /> greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050; <br /> WHEREAS, more than 100 county leaders signed a letter written by Dane <br /> County, Wisconsin, that was sent to the President in March 2006 calling for <br /> increased energy investment and development of jobs focused on clean energy <br /> technologies; <br />