Global Warming

Forget the facts and figures: Here's what you should do

Okay, I'll do the summarizing soundbite, just because I guess I have to: Hurricane Katrina. A rapidly disappearing Arctic. The warmest winter on the East Coast in recorded history. The leading scientist at NASA warns that we have only ten years to reverse climate change; the British government's report on global warming estimates that the financial impact will be greater than the Great Depression and both world wars—combined. Worst case scenario: the seas could rise up to 44 feet. The scientific consensus is well-nigh universal. Aaaaaagh!! DOOM.

Anyway, to do your part as a responsible citizen:

Lifestyle
Transportation
1. Walking is the least impactful mode of transportation, followed by the bicycle, whose usage produces no carbon emissions. (The manufacturing of bicycles does emit carbon dioxide and other pollutants.) It's good for you, too. You, too, can be a rock-animal like Lance Armstrong. Support bike lanes in your community, and wear a helmet. Perhaps you can wear a neon colored vest or something, as well. You can put bells and bikelights (I like Cat's eyes) on your bike, to boot, for safety. You can attach baskets, for groceries or whatever. There are even trailers you can get for towing your tots. If practical.

2. If that isn't practical, Take public transportation, or carpool. You'll meet people. You can listen to music or books on tape, such as from the library, for example. You can do research on your laptop to submit to my totally awesome blog. I know of an older woman who rides around a city all day, hopping busses, using her bus pass. It can be pleasurable in and of itself. Just bask in the bliss of knowing your carbon footprint just got smaller (Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year. In other words, cars spew about a pound of carbon dioxide per mile. Hmm, I thought it was carbon MONoxide. Maybe Gore's site is wrong? In any case, busses spew x. But the average bus carries x people, so that's an improvement by a factor of x. The bus will be running, with or without you, in any case).

3. If that isn't practical, then: Cars- a)Purchase a vehicle which gets high gas mileage to help to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. Consider a hybrid. b)Keep your tires inflated properly (it saves gas mileage) and your engine in good shape. c)Proper maintenance is important. I like the show Cartalk on npr. Regarding tire inflation, according to tire experts, under normal driving conditions, air-filled tires can lose from 1 to 2 psi per month as air permeates through the tires. This can cause crashes. According to a 2006 study on fuel efficiency, passenger cars and light trucks use an estimated 130B gallons of fuel per year in the U.S., total. It is estimated that 1.2B gallons of this is wasted due to the increased resistance of underinflated tires (that's 2m gallons a day). Individually speaking, you'll save a tank of gas a year. (Did you know you can also modify your driving technique to improve gas mileage?) See: http://www.wanderings.net/notebook/Main/HowToGet59MPGInAnAccord
d)Basically, though, what you should know is that you should slow down and drive less aggressively. Aggressive drivers use an extra 125 gallons a year, and spend $250 more. Exceeding the speed limit by 5 mph on the hwy. leads to a decrease in fuel efficiency of 6%. There are little tips to know, like e) in stop and go driving, air conditioning decreases fuel economy by as much as 12%, so consider opening your window, but at higher speeds, open windows lead to decreased efficiency, and f) if you're stopped for more than 10 seconds, turn off the engine (except in traffic), and g) travel light and minimize drag (put luggage inside, not on your roof or trunk).

4. Also, you can share vehicles. Community car sharing organizations provide access to a car and the membership fee covers gas, maintenance and insurance. Many companies, such as Flexcar or ZipCar, offer low emission or hybrid cars too.

5. Drive less. When the price of gas goes up, people drive less. So just pretend it's high, anyway (It may actually reach $4.00 a gallon, but Americans still get it cheap). When people are forced to not drive as much, they make their purchases online and pick them up nearby, as well as make less trips for food, by making bulk purchases at superstores. So do that, I guess.

6. Fly less. Airplanes are big polluters: i.e. large amounts of carbon dioxide. Take a train, bus, boat, or even car. Busses are the most energy efficient for long distances, and trains are twice as efficient as planes. If you must fly, consider carbon offsets. Do they sell carbon offsets at the airport?

7. Telecommute if you can, even if only once a week.

Environment
8.Trees: Protecting forests and planting new trees contributes to the absorption of carbon dioxide from the air. There are many opportunities to plant trees in the yard, along roads, in parks, and in public gardens. Plant a tree near your house, for needed summer shade and as a carbon sink. Maybe two, so you can hang a clothesline. In addition, some charities plant fast-growing trees -- for as little as $US 0.10 per tree -- to help people in tropical developing countries restore the productivity of their lands. Conversely, clearing old-growth forests adds to the carbon in the atmosphere, so buying non-old-growth paper is good for the climate as well as the forest. Apparently, paper in Japan is often from Tasmanian old-growth forests (Gunn's Limited logging). See:
http://www.treesnotgunns.org/

9. Carbon offsets: The principle of carbon offset is this: one decides that he or she doesn't want to be responsible for accelerating climate change, and he or she has already made efforts to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions, so they decide to pay someone else to further reduce their net emissions by planting trees or by taking up low-carbon technologies. Every unit of carbon that is absorbed by trees -- or not emitted due to your funding of renewable energy deployment -- offsets the emissions from their fossil fuel use. In many cases, funding of renewable energy, energy efficiency, or tree planting -- particularly in developing nations -- can be a relatively cheap way of making an individual "carbon neutral". Carbon offset providers -- some as inexpensive as US$0.11 per metric ton (US$0.10 per US ton) of carbon dioxide.

Carbon offsets are also called 'clean energy certificates'. Help spur the renewable energy market, and cut ghg emissions, by buying "wind certificates" or "green tags," which represent clean power you can add to the nation's energy grid in place of electricity from fossil fuels. For information, see Green-e. You can calculate the global warming pollution associated with your everyday activities, then buy enough certificates to offset them and become "climate neutral." Two places to learn how: NativeEnergy's WindBuilders(sm) program and Bonneville Environmental Foundation's Green Tags program. (From the NRDC site)

10. Using less animal products: The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization reports that rearing livestock contributes more greenhouse gases than all fossil fuel burning combined. A 2006 study from the Department of Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago found the difference between a vegan diet and red meat diet is equivalent to driving a sedan compared to a sport utility vehicle. Maybe we could create a new form of carbon offset in which we pay people to become vegetarian?

11. Food: In addition to vegetarianism/buying less meat, there are four other food rules to help you become more ecologically sound, i.e. reduce your carbon footprint: a) buy local (the average meal travels 1200 miles), b) support local farmer's markets, c) buy organic (organic soils capture and store carbon dioxide)and d) buy fresh (not frozen) foods. When hiking, you're supposed to "take only pictures, leave only footprints." Don't be a carbon bigfoot.

Home Energy
12.Labels: The Energy Star label can be seen on many household appliances, home electronics, office equipment, heating and cooling equipment, windows, residential light fixtures, and other products. Energy Star products use less energy. Did you know the cost of wasted standby energy over a device's lifetime can be higher than the cost of buying it! So unplug them, too. This is easily done with power strips (also called power cords or surge protectors). Laptops use 5x less energy than desktops. The cost of leaving your computer on all year can be more than the entire electricity expenses of an efficient household. Of course, you can't unplug your fridge, which is generally responsible for a third of your E consumption, so you should have a more recent, energy-saving, model (around 100kWh/year). These fridges also last longer, need fewer repairs, and make less noise. (If you're in the market for a fridge, you might want a freezer as part of your fridge, or separate: Refrigerators with frozen food compartments are less efficient. Of these fridges, the ones with freezer compartments above or below are more efficient than side to side. Chest type freezers are the most efficient freezer). And you should turn off your lights and tv when you're not using them, of course. The idea about switching lights on and off thereby using more energy is a myth. Light bulbs should mos' def be CFL's (compact fluorescent lightbulbs). They're cheaper, and last a lot longer, and have a major impact. Specifically, they use 4x less energy, last 8x longer, and I've seen them for sale at .25cents a piece (please dispose of them properly, so the mercury in them can be recycled). It is estimated that the average CFL will save a user roughly $35 over the bulb's life, compared with the power costs of an incandescent bulb, and cost 25 cents to recycle. Fluorescent tubes last even longer, and should be used with "a modern ballast starter" (a part of the fixture). CFL's and tubes can be dimmable, as well, which is good (and romantic). Avoid halogen floor lamps at all costs (they can also burn you and start fires). Also, you should strategically use reflectors to put light exactly where you need it, and use natural light to full advantage. They also say motion-sensors are a good idea. Switching to use of only high-efficiency appliances in an average household leads to 10x less power consumption (from 11,209 kWh/y to 1300kWh/y). Make sure the appliances you choose are not too large or too small. If every U.S. household became energy efficient, 800 million tons of greenhouse gas would not be emitted.

13. Support "green energy." The wind energy produced in Denmark, for example, provides about 20 percent of the country's total electricity needs. These methods of energy production emit no greenhouse gases once they are up and running. Many energy suppliers in various countries worldwide have options to purchase part or pure "green energy." Green energy can be from the grid, or your own. Solar is, of course, awesome, if expensive. How long do solar panels last? Crystalline panels are often guaranteed from 20 years to a lifetime, while Thin film panels receive shorter warranties (usually from 2-5 years), but have been known to still be putting out a charge for up to double that time. The thin film panels work better in dimmer light, though. You can even sometimes sell power back to the grid! In addition to solar and wind, green energy can be from biomass, or geothermal (heat from the earth's core). Because electricity demand is based on consumer choices, the more we all demand green power, the more these cleaner, renewable, non-heat-trapping polluter, sources will be used. By cleaner, I mean less smog, soot, mercury, and acid rain.

14.You can get your home Energy Audited, for free. They'll tell you what to do and where. This will obviously include insulation and weatherization (caulking and weatherstripping). Proper ventilation during the summer is important, and there's something called "glazing" which makes my eyes glaze over, because I don't know what it means. If you're buying a new house, choose an energy-efficient house, just as you would consider a hybrid car. You should install a light-colored or reflective roof. Dishwashers should only be run on full, and on the energy-saver cycle.

15. Regarding heating and cooling, you should a) set your thermostat at 2 degrees lower in the winter and 2 degrees higher in the summer, b)have a programmable thermostat that adjusts to night and day temperatures, c)clean or replace your furnace and air conditioner filters, and d) gas heating is always better than electrical heating. Don't use space-heaters. Also, e)you should keep your shades drawn in the summer to keep your house cool, and open in the winter to let in warm sunlight.

16. In hot water: use less of it by 1) install low-flow showerheads, which will over their "lifetime" of 10 years, yield a savings of 1500 or 1900 kWh/year, for electrical and gas/oil boilers, respectively, and 2) wash your clothes in cooler water settings, and 3) your hot water heater should be turned down to 120 degrees.

17. We need new laws that will steer our nation toward the most important solutions to global warming: cleaner cars and cleaner power plants. Send a message to your elected officials, letting them know that you will hold them accountable for what they do -or fail to do- about global warming. (from the Natural Resources Defense Council- You can join them, if you're a joiner).

18. Spread the word, spread the gospel. People will appreciate you helping them save money, in addition to all the karmic goodness.

Al Gore's website lists most of these things, with greater detail, useful links, and perhaps better clarity at:
http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/whatyoucando/

Most of these will save you money, to boot.
Also, corporations can be major pollutors, so work for change in yours (and others).

Other sites you can visit are:
1.http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/campaigns/climate-and-energy/solutions/energy-efficiency/12-steps (12 tips)
2.http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/gsteps.asp (10 steps)
3.http://www.fightglobalwarming.com/page.cfm?tagID=267 (25 tips)
4.http://www.goveg.com/environment-globalWarming.asp (just One: go vegetarian!)

To finish with a few more facts about the reasons for doing all this, the consequences of global warming, an increase in the average temperature of the earth by as much as x, are as follows:

Death, disease, hunger, thirst, and relocation
1. Less drinking water. Melting glaciers on the Tibetan plateau, which currently provide water for 40% of the world's population, could reduce the Asian potable water supply by x.

2.Heatwaves. The 2003 European heatwave, for example, killed 35k.

3.Stronger hurricanes (in duration, intensity: both have increased by 50% since the '70s). This is a consequence of warming oceans.

4.Floods, drought, and famine. Soil moisture dries up, leaving fewer and dryer crops. (And rainfall patterns change dramatically, and relocate).

5.Disease. Around 30 new diseases have emerged over the last 30 yrs., and old, formerly controlled, diseases, are resurging. Vectors that thrive better in warmer temps are algae, mosquitoes (they're moving to higher elevations), tsetse flies, lice, rodents, snails, bats, ticks, and fleas.

6.Polar bears die, as an example (among others). I imagine we can't even begin to understand the ecological effects, in the complex web of natural relationships that make up our world.

7.The maps will have to be redrawn, as water submerges islands and coastal territory, displacing x millions, depending on how high the seas rise. For example, a rise of 20 feet would displace 20m around Beijing, 40m around Shanghai, and 60m in Bangladesh and Calcutta, India.

Okay, since you probably didn't know the "facts and figures" anyway, I'll give them (from Wikipedia): The global average air temperature near the Earth's surface rose 0.74 ± 0.18 °C (1.33 ± 0.32 °F) during the hundred years ending in 2005. Climate model projections summarized by the IPCC indicate that average global surface temperature will likely rise a further 1.1 to 6.4 °C (2.0 to 11.5 °F) during the twenty-first century. The range of values results from the use of differing scenarios of future greenhouse gas emissions as well as models with differing climate sensitivity. Although most studies focus on the period up to 2100, warming and sea level rise are expected to continue for more than a thousand years even if greenhouse gas levels are stabilized. The delay in reaching equilibrium is a result of the large heat capacity of the oceans (water changes temperature more slowly; this is why San Francisco has a cool climate, being surrounded by ocean).

What's the best case scenario? I could say B1, but unfortunately that's also a bomber. TV could get educational, and the world could get serious about solving, not avoiding, it's problems. Everybody seems to just be wasting their time watching tv. I think most people are rather dumb, and apathetic about social issues. People even think our president is. Perhaps democratization (especially without increasing education) isn't the biggest hoo-ha around.

Update news (6/6/08): TOKYO - The world needs to invest $45 trillion in energy in coming decades, build some 1,400 nuclear power plants and vastly expand wind power in order to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to an energy study released Friday. The report by the Paris-based International Energy Agency envisions a "energy revolution" that would greatly reduce the world's dependence on fossil fuels while maintaining steady economic growth.
"Meeting this target of 50 percent cut in emissions represents a formidable challenge, and we would require immediate policy action and technological transition on an unprecedented scale," IEA Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka said. A U.N.-network of scientists concluded last year that emissions have to be cut by at least half by 2050 to avoid an increase in world temperatures of between 3.6 and 4.2 degrees above pre-18th century levels. Scientists say temperature increases beyond that could trigger devastating effects, such as widespread loss of species, famines and droughts, and swamping of heavily populated coastal areas by rising oceans.
$45T would be 1.1 percent of the world's gross domestic product, the report said. That would be an investment more than three times the current size of the entire U.S. economy. I would remind everyone reading of Bjorn Lomborg's priorities. There are other, equally, if not more, pressing problems, too. Like starvation/malnutrition. Don't be intimidated. We can afford "the Kingdom"!

Failure to act would lead to a doubling of energy demand and a 130 percent increase in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, the officials said. This development is clearly not sustainable. About $27 trillion of the 45 would be borne by developing countries, which will be responsible for two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Most of the money would be in the commercialization of energy technologies developed by governments and the private sector. When the industry as a whole becomes convinced to enact a policy of serious, deep CO2 emission cuts, then these investments will be made by the private sector.

Update 6/9: The ocean's pH is currently about 8.2. By 2001, it will be 7.8. When you add CO2 to seawater, you get carbonic acid (simple chemistry). This thins shells by reducing calcium carbonate concentrations and reduces sealife/ keystone species such as mussels, limpets, and barnacles. In other words, marine food webs as we know them are going to alter, and biodiversity will decrease. Seagrasses increase, though. Lower depths have lower pH. Values as low 7.5 in waters heavily used by US fishermen have already been recorded.

Update 6/23: James Hansen, Nasa scientist, testifying before congress, and echoing work by other scientists, said that in five to 10 years, the Arctic will be free of sea ice in the summer. Action, he says, must be taken immediately. The world has long passed the "dangerous level" for greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and needs to get back to 1988 levels. He said Earth's atmosphere can only stay this loaded with man-made carbon dioxide for a couple more decades without changes such as mass extinction, ecosystem collapse and dramatic sea level rises.

Update 7/3: The U.S. government has done the least among the world’s eight biggest economies to address global warming, a study released last week found. The G8 Climate Scorecards 2008, released 6 days ago ahead of next week’s gathering of the Group of Eight in Japan, also found that none of the eight countries are making improvements large enough to prevent temperature increases that scientists think would cause catastrophic climate changes.

Update 7-8:World leaders say they will aim to set a global target of cutting carbon emissions by at least 50% by 2050 in an effort to tackle global warming. Five of the world's biggest emerging economies said the G8 should increase its targets to more than 80% by 2050. A target of a 25-40% cut below 1990 levels by 2020 is also being urged. So they're essentially re-stating a 1992 Earth Summit committment. But "progress" might even be regress. A Japanese minister said 50% from current levels, not 1990 levels, which would be less. They're avoiding short-term targets, too. Baby steps, people. The longest journey begins with a single step.