Featured Story April 2007
Cool Cities
The once hotly debated science on global warming is now officially unanimous and unequivocal. The latest assessment report by the International Panel on Climate Change, a UN faction that studies human impact on the environment, revealed with great certainty that people are the main cause of global warming. The burning of fuels for electricity, gas for transportation and deforestation has ravaged the world's natural systems.
The greenhouse gases we produce today will remain in the atmosphere for up to 100 years, meaning levels of these gases will increase even if we reduce our emissions now. If action isn't immediately taken, scientists predict vast environmental and sociological damage. The risks include massive disruption in water supplies, increased frequency of extreme heat events, displacement of millions of people living in low-lying coastal areas, northward spread of tropical diseases and other dramatic changes.
The few critics point at the many natural agents of climate change without understanding that they also operate on geological time scales of tens of thousands of years. Global warming since the industrial revolution is unprecedented, and the graphic figures are not even as alarming as the shape of the curve itself.
Current concentrations of atmospheric CO2 are the highest in over 600,000 years with a 35 percent increase since pre-industrial times—half of that having occurred since 1970. Sea temperatures are steadily intensifying, and land masses are even more susceptible to warming. Global surface temperatures are no exception as 11 of the past 12 years are the hottest on record. North and South America, as well as Northern Europe, are getting wetter, the Mediterranean and sub-Saharan Africa drier.
On February 16, 2005 the Kyoto Protocol was ratified by 169 countries that make up 55 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions. It is the most important international agreement addressing climate disruption ever reached, and seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions seven percent from 1990 levels by the year 2012.
The most notable abstainer from the treaty remains the United States. However, the good news: On that same day, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels launched an initiative to pursue the environmental standards on a civic level. Since then, communities across the country have responded by rallying together to locally address global warming.
The US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement promotes anti-sprawl land-use policies, urban forest restoration projects and public awareness campaigns. It pushes local, state and federal government officials to strive toward Kyoto targets and urges congress to pass bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation, which would establish a national emission cap and trading system.
"Seattle's growing green economy is creating jobs and economic opportunities in fields such as energy, construction and transportation," noted Nickels, who boasts the first electric utility company to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. "Across the country, cities are trying new approaches to reducing emission by focusing on cleaner electricity production, reducing energy consumption and encouraging clean-burning cars and transportation."
The United Nations agreed to a set of a "common but differentiated responsibilities," which attributed the largest share of global greenhouse gases emissions to developed countries. They reasoned that per capita emissions in developing countries are still relatively low, and they must be allowed more flexibility in order to grow to meet their social and development needs.
In other words, developing countries were exempt from Kyoto requirements because they were not the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions during the industrialization period believed to be causing today's climate change.
However, critics of Kyoto argue that China, India and other developing countries may soon be the top producers of greenhouse gases. Also, without Kyoto restrictions on these countries, industries in developed countries will likely be driven towards these unrestricted countries.
But without the US government's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, over a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions remain unchecked and uncontrolled. Developing nations have little incentive to join a treaty from which the world's economic superpower is conspicuously absent. More than 420 American cities have proven that if the federal government refuses to act, regional mobilization will take the lead instead.
Cool Cities is a Sierra Club campaign promoting the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement by encouraging people to contact their city officials and spark grassroots change. It helps municipalities turn their commitments into action by pushing for smart energy solutions and provides the framework for everyday citizens to become politically active community members. It also creates an integrated approach to policy making to codify environmental considerations within the political structure from the design stage to its implementation.
"The quality of life of future generations is at stake ä human rights are tied to the environment and economy, and this is a way to connect the dots," said Jean Costa, a 43-year resident of La Mesa, the fourth city in San Diego to push for municipal emission standards. "We must break from convenience to be more conscious citizens, which means more recycling, no littering, et cetera..."
To become a Cool City, a municipality must first conduct an inventory of current global warming emissions to identify its major CO2 sources. This provides a baseline indicator by which to set reduction targets and measure change. The most crucial step is then creating a solutions plan to promote hybrid vehicles, energy efficiency and renewable resources.
Municipalities are disproving the misconception that environmentally conscious architecture and infrastructure is too costly, instead showcasing the economic, social and health benefits. Incorporating LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards into municipal building codes increases the overall energy efficiency of new buildings. Aside from these benefits, going green is also politically advantageous in that it positively transforms a city's reputation.
Pittsburgh was once known as the steel industrial capital of the world, but it now features one of the globe's most environmentally sustainable structures. The David L. Lawrence Convention Center taps drinking water from underground aquifers and even recycles water from bathrooms. Roof skylights and glass walls naturally light, heat and ventilate the building. They even built on site of the old convention center and used recyclable materials for construction.
"People are finally recognizing the urgency, and politicians are responding ä within the last year, the number of Cool Cities has doubled," said Sofia Gidlund, a Sierra Club volunteer. "I've been advocating the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement since its inception, but it wasn't until the IPCC report and Gore's film [that] the average American started taking global warming more seriously."
Cities and states are indeed beginning to recognize the economic opportunities in the green movement, not only creating new businesses and jobs but offering skilled and desirable positions. Investors in green technology will be the millionaires of tomorrow as even the most corporate of corporations jump on the environmental bandwagon, including General Motors and Wal-Mart.
In southeastern Michigan, wind farms will generate 30 percent of the state's energy needs when completed. Western Michigan companies like Herman Miller and Steelcase make eco-friendly furniture by reducing the use of hardwood from poorly maintained forests and designing products that can be easily disassembled and recycled.
The National Academy of Sciences showed that increased temperatures cause increased emissions of the harmful pollutants that thicken ground level ozone. However, major climate panels also indicate that we can slow the rate of increased temperatures by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Non-polluting energy such as solar and wind are increasingly viable options that create a reliable source of safe, homegrown electricity. Recent state legislation will greatly increase the percentage of total energy produced by these methods.
But being that city services only account for a small fraction of greenhouse gas emissions, each household must take responsibility for its energy use. The Sierra Club recommends ten things you can do at home to curb global warming. Choosing modern technology can reduce the use of fossil fuels, and little things like caulking doorways, turning down the water heater and adjusting the thermostat can yield significant energy savings.
Drive smart with properly inflated tires, or better yet, take public transit, walk or bike when possible. Urge political leaders to raise fuel economy standards to 40 miles per gallon. Bush's recently revised regulatory system is inadequate because it still rewards auto manufacturers for building bigger vehicles. Although the costs remain higher than regular cars, hybrids save on gasoline, pollute less, retain higher resale values and have lower maintenance costs.
"This makes economic sense, it makes environmental sense and it's going to set an example," said Mayor Bill White of Houston, America's most polluted city in 2000. "Converting city fleets to hybrids by 2010 will not only save on fuel costs but also save our air quality."
Support clean, renewable energy solutions such as wind and solar power to reduce the reliance on coal, still the largest source of global warming pollution in the United States. Pollution from coal-burning power plants contributes to over 600,000 asthma attacks each year, and nuclear energy presents even greater dangers.
Buying energy-efficient appliances cuts down on electricity bills. That includes replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs which produce the same amount of light but use only a quarter of the electricity and last ten times longer. Conventional bulbs are also being replaced by light emitting diode (LED) traffic signals, which save money, produce less CO2 and require less maintenance.
Replacing an old refrigerator or air conditioner, for instance, with one that has an energy star label will help cut down on global warming pollution. Install low-flow showerheads and faucets to use half the water without sacrificing performance.
Planting shade trees around the house absorbs CO2 and slashes summer cooling bills. The Sierra Club encourages everyone to fight against excessive logging, slash-and-burn farming and intensive livestock production, which have contributed to the destruction of 90 percent of native forests in America.
The biggest thing we can all do is recycle, reduce and reuse! Producing new paper, glass and metal from recycled materials saves 70 to 90 percent of the energy and pollution that would result if the product came from virgin sources. Recycling a four foot stack of newspapers, for example, is enough to save the average tree.
Progressive approaches like Cool Cities and zero waste offer viable plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as providing other economically sound, ecologically friendly benefits. Zero waste involves rethinking the way products and services are engineered, manufactured, consumed and discarded, gaining popularity worldwide as a rational approach to long-term resource management. Cities are finding ways to reuse or recycle worn, unwanted materials.
Recently, El Cajon became the first zero waste jurisdiction in San Diego County where greenhouse gas emissions have risen sharply over the past decade due to a swelling population, burgeoning business and millions of commuters. New Zealand, Australia, Toronto, Oregon, North Carolina, Seattle, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Oakland, Del Norte, Santa Cruz and Alameda have also adopted zero waste policies.
There is a wide breadth for argument given the climate's complex natural mechanisms which cause unpredictable feedback effects from global warming. The rate at which environmental destruction will adversely affect human life is difficult to determine.
However, there should be no debate on whether it's worth acting upon. The facts are there, and the time for deliberation is over; the longer we delay, the worse the backlash will be!
When a physician believes he's detected cancer in a patient, he doesn't wait until the disease spreads to validate the diagnosis. He takes immediate and aggressive action to mitigate the illness. So the question remains, "Is there a doctor in the house?"
Take action to help reduce global warming in your area today. To get involved with a Cool Cities campaign in your city, to network with other concerned citizens or download a Cool Cities guide and fact sheet, go to www.coolcities.us. For information about zero waste, check online resources like www.zerowaste.org or www.zerowasteamerica.org.