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Global Warning - Feb 15, 2007 - Printable Version
- I Read the News Today
by Robin Buckallew
For the past week, the news has been abuzz with the talk of global warming. The recently released report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was devastating. It was gloomy. It was depressing. In short, it was nothing that most of us didn’t already know, but that mainstream America has seemed rather slow to internalize into their worldview. Global warming is not, as James Inhofe (R-OK) put it, “the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on mankind”. It is not some vague, futuristic apocalyptic scenario that may or may not visit itself on our great-great-great-great grandkids. It is not a “strictly natural weather cycle”. It is real, it is here, it is human induced, and it is bigger than life. Global warming has come out of the closet. It is being discussed around kitchen tables and boardroom tables. It is on Fox News and CNN. It is on the Internet and in the newspapers. I imagine at the next Miss America pageant the crown will go to the contestant who pledges to do something about global warming. Years of hard work and research have paid off in getting the message out. Al Gore is no longer “Professor Ozone”. Instead, he is a traveling one-man show, in high demand on the lecture circuit. We are all listening. Not so fast. In spite of all the hoopla surrounding the released report, there are still many islands of doubt and retrenchment. Some other news: the National Science Teachers Association (NTSA) recently refused to accept an offer of 50,000 free copies of “An Inconvenient Truth” on DVD. Their reasoning? It could interfere with their “capital campaign”. You see, one of their primary supporters is Exxon-Mobil, and Exxon-Mobil is not happy with the movie. NTSA is worried that they might curtail support. Now, I’m sure we’re all happy to know that this corporate giant supports the ideal of free public education available to all. Most of us are probably not happy, however, that this support comes with so many strings attached that our students are not allowed to hear the latest science if it conflicts with the profits of Exxon-Mobil. In fact, Exxon-Mobil has for a number of years been interfering with this particular aspect of education, by producing “lesson plans” for science teachers, and providing them free of charge to cash-strapped school systems. These “lesson plans” have been little more than slick, glossy commercials for one of the world’s number one polluters, designed to introduce students to the “controversy” that surrounds global warming, and ensure that the students go into the world thoroughly conflicted about the issue, preferably conflicted enough to render them immobile.
Of course, Exxon-Mobil isn’t the only problem that global warming scientists face getting their message out. In Seattle, the movie has been banned from the public schools. It seems a local fundamentalist church group was up in arms about it, because the movie failed to consider the alternate view that “it will become warm in the end times”. In short, it’s not global warming, it’s Armageddon, and we can’t do anything to stop it because it is predestined. In order to avoid conflict, the city simply determined that the movie can’t be shown.
For the rest of us, those of us who don’t work for Exxon-Mobil, and those of us who feel that this might be something other than the harbinger of the Antichrist, there are things we can do. We can’t stop global warming – the time for that was years ago, when we were just beginning to ratchet up the Industrial Revolution, and embark on a hedonistic orgy of consumption that would throw us all into an endless rat race and leave us exhausted and unfulfilled. For several decades, we have been talking about the need for incremental changes, eventually leading inexorably to the big changes that we knew would be needed down the road. Unfortunately, we have only been talking. For most of America, the only “lifestyle changes” they have made have been in the wrong direction. Now, I still hear people talking about “incremental changes”, small steps leading in the right direction. The time is past. If you wanted “incremental”, you should have begun thirty years ago. Now, we have to think big. Fortunately, this is America. Thinking big is one thing we’re unusually good at. But it isn’t enough to think big. We must also act big. We can’t sit around whining and wait for “someone” to do “something”. We can send letters to Congress and to the White House urging that they act, and in fact, I encourage that very thing. But Congress typically moves at the speed of the tectonic plates – in other words, imperceptibly slow. So, while we’re waiting for them to overcome inertia, we should be acting on our own, changing the system at its very roots. If they see you mean it, they will fall in line behind you. The mistake we all too often make is referring to the President and the Congress as our “leaders”. This is a misnomer. Throughout our history, the government has been “followers”, puffing and panting to keep up with business, with society, and with science. We are the leaders, and it is time to lead. We, the people, hereby assume the responsibility that we once abdicated. We assume the responsibility that goes along with our rights.
In my last column, I requested my readers to make an inventory of their own lives. Now, we can put that inventory to use, and begin to shift our own behavior patterns into more sensible, sustainable practices. I am going to provide here a list of ways in which you can make a difference, ways in which you can reduce your carbon dioxide emissions in your own home and your own life. Then, I am going to ask you to take a vow with me: I am going to ask the Faulking Truth writers and readers to all join with me in personally ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, and pledging ourselves to reduce our own emissions down to pre-1990 levels. I urge you to sign on (click here to add your name and comments). We will make this an official resolution of all Faulking Truthers worldwide, and all those who sign on will have their name included on a document which I will draft and send to our President and our Congress. Then, once we have achieved the goals of this too-little, too-late protocol, we can begin moving forward to the next step – as the saying goes, “To infinity and beyond”. Individually, we can’t save the world. Collectively, we can.
So, how can you make a difference? First things first: drive less. This seems like an impossible task for most of us. A few years ago, I was driving like an average American, putting an average amount of miles on my car every year. Now, I log only about 25 miles a week – and I live in a town without any mass transportation at all. I live in a town where not driving is regarded as a peculiarity. This is not going to be an easy task, and that’s why I ask you to undertake it first. It requires planning and motivation, and once you accomplish it, you will have a warm glow of success that will bolster you as you go about other changes – not to mention, you will have greater amounts of money to help you make the other changes. The dirty truth is that most Americans spend an average of 20% of their income maintaining the car culture. So, how to drive less? First of all, plan your trips in advance. Don’t figure on running to the store every time you run out of something. Instead, make a list so you don’t forget what you need and have to go back. Figure out ways to do without what you don’t have until you are making a trip. If you live close enough to a store, consider walking there (or biking) to get the little thing you forgot. Unless you are elderly or disabled, walk anytime you are going less than a mile. Invest in a bike, and bike if you are able. You’ll not only be reducing emissions and saving money, you’ll be increasing your health and well-being. In addition, combine trips. If you are going to need things at the hardware store, the bookstore, the grocery store, and the drugstore, arrange your schedule to make all the trips at once. Plan your route in advance to make it the most practical, sensible route, where you do little backtracking and additional driving. Then, on to bigger steps. If you are in the market for a new car, walk doggedly past that line of glistening, shiny, tempting SUVs. No matter what the commercials say, they do not make you look strong and powerful. They just highlight your fragility and vulnerability, and make you look like an uncaring, selfish consumer. Consider your needs carefully, and if you really do use the SUV because you must frequently haul things, consider a van. They are built on a car chassis, and so they are required to meet the same mileage standards as a car. In addition, they are infinitely safer, being less prone to roll-overs than SUVs. If your (honest) inventory has shown that you rarely haul anything, then consider a compact or even a small hybrid. If you need the prestige, then just take the money you save on gas, stuff it in a wad in your wallet, and wave it around occasionally to those who would belittle you.
If you are not in the market for a new car, and can’t trade “down” from your SUV right now, you can still act to reduce emissions. My informal survey has been confirmed by many formal surveys – the vast majority of automobiles, SUV or otherwise, on the road contain only one person most of the time. Why do you drive around alone in a car built to hold five people comfortably? Instead of complaining about the cost of gas, cut your gas bill in half – share the ride with another person, one who helps foot the expenses. Cut your bill in thirds by adding a third person. By the time you reach the logical conclusion of this train of thought, you could be paying less for your gas than you were in 1970. Already, I hear the chorus of protest: carpool? It’s inconvenient! It’s not easy! It’s…IMPOSSIBLE! I have heard them all – all the protests against carpooling. As for inconvenience – how convenient will it be when the world food crop begins failing because of global warming? How convenient will it be when animals begin to go extinct because of global warming? Ask yourself – is it all about me? Carpooling is not lack of freedom – it is a choice. A lifestyle choice that can free up money and time. Once you begin carpooling, you will get to know your neighbors better, and you might find out that you have a lot in common. You might make friends and build community, instead of each of you living out your separate lives locked behind closed doors protecting your privacy at all costs. In addition, as more and more people begin to carpool, the congestion on the highways will be reduced. This will lead to easier commutes, and also will generate less need for constant expansion of the highway systems. This will in turn preserve open spaces, lead to less fragmentation of wildlife habitat, create less runoff from hard surfaces and less pollution in our water bodies, and free up millions of dollars in highway maintenance costs to be used for other things that are important to us – education, health insurance, libraries…dare to dream.
There are other ways besides our automobile that we can make changes that will lead to decreased emissions. We can turn our thermostat up in the summer and down in the winter. A difference of two degrees will have only a minor impact on your comfort level, but will reduce your emissions by 2000 pounds a year. That’s a TON of carbon dioxide a year. Turning your water heater down to 120? will reduce emissions and save money. Insulating it will save even more – up to 1000 pounds a year. Keeping your air filter changed on your car will save 800 pounds a year. Keeping your tires properly inflated can save up to 250 pounds a year. Turning off lights when you’re not in the room, and changing to fluorescent bulbs can result in significant reductions. Unplugging appliances you’re not using can generate larger reductions than you might realize. These are small things, and don’t lead to any reduction in the quality of life.
Research your utility company. Many cities now have renewable power options, but for some reason a lot of people aren’t aware of them. Check to see if your power company has wind available. If they don’t, start a drive to encourage them to invest in it. Use your influence as a consumer to start something new, and enlist the aid of friends and relatives. When your voices reach critical mass, the electric company will listen. They will begin to explore other options. Check your state to see if they have a provision for net-metering. Net-metering provides an attractive option to encourage citizens to invest in solar panels and wind turbines by requiring the power companies to buy back any power you generate above what you use. You’d be surprised how many people become believers when they see their neighbor’s meter running backwards. If your state does not have a net-metering provision, contact your local legislator, and encourage them to introduce a bill, and keep following up to ensure that they continue to fight for it and nurture it through a potentially hostile legislature. In the meantime, anytime you have to replace an appliance, look for the Energy Star label, indicating that your choice is one of the most energy-efficient appliances on the market. Buy local products whenever possible, to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions generated by trucking products halfway around the world. Plant trees whenever and wherever possible.
Now, no one person is likely to begin doing everything on this list immediately. Each person needs to assess their own lifestyle, and see what choices they are able to make to reduce their own carbon emissions. Each lifestyle change needs to be personal and individualized, so that you choose something you are able to do and stick to it. But don’t eschew the hard choices, pretending they’re impossible just because they require a little work. Embrace the hard choices, and let your life become a beacon to others who are searching for answers. And above all, don’t apologize for your choices. Be proud. It does not make you less worthy because you are living a simpler, less consumptive life. In fact, you may find yourself experiencing joys you haven’t had since childhood. In addition, you’ll have more control over your life once you begin to accept full responsibility for your own choices. And you’ll feel a special pride in knowing that the world is a better place because you were in it.
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