This post is by Elizabeth Thompson, Legislative Director at Environmental Defense.

Climate Vote 2007

Part of a series on the work of the Environmental Defense Action Fund to enact an effective climate law. You can help by writing to Congress.

The US Climate Action Partnership (US-CAP) ran its first newspaper ad [PDF] last week in the widely read Capitol Hill newspapers Roll Call and the Politico. The ad urges Congress to "take prompt action" to reduce America's global warming pollution and recommends a "cap-and-trade program that achieves emission reductions at the lowest possible cost."

The ad is a clear signal that the partnership of 27 major corporations and 6 leading environmental organizations is eager to assert itself in the political debate and to push the global warming solutions agenda forward.

Environmental Defense co-founded US-CAP earlier this year to bring environmentalists and businesses from a variety of industries together around a common set of principles for effective global warming action. Since its launch, the number of companies and organizations involved in US-CAP has more than doubled.

The businesses involved in US-CAP have combined annual revenue of more than $2 trillion. The participation of this diverse group of successful businesses willing to promote meaningful global warming legislation directly challenges the tired argument that there is an inevitable trade off between the environment and the economy.

Smart global warming policy can cut emissions without significantly harming the economy. In fact, there is tremendous potential for economic growth as America transforms and adopts new energy and efficiency technologies.

There is no greater proof of this than the participation of so many Fortune 500 companies in US-CAP.