Women voters lobby for climate law

The League of Women Voters of North Carolina is urging the state's two U.S. senators to support strong climate change legislation.

Judie Burke, former president of the state league, was part of a delegation in Washington that met with the staffs for Sens. Kay Hagan, a Democrat, and Richard Burr, a Republican. Women around the world are disproportionately affected by global warming, Burke said in a written release.

“The message brought to the Senators today is that their support of strong climate change legislation is important to both North Carolina and our country," Burke said, according to a release from the league. "Without immediate action, the impacts on our state will be devastating. Global warming will cause, and has already caused, more intense heat waves, more frequent heavy rainstorms and changing conditions that will threaten many native species.”

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Kathleen Balogh, president of the League of Women Voters of North Carolina, said the United States, as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, has a responsibility to curb the environmental and public health damages.

“We must take the lead on setting firm limits, or caps, on greenhouse gas emissions — limits that decline over time to meet pollution-reduction goals," Balogh said. "Senators Hagan and Burr will soon be confronted with the historic opportunity to take meaningful action on an issue that is neither conservative nor liberal — and will affect everyone in our state.”

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy, according to the group's Web site.