Fight Global Warming
From Envirowiki
By now, the world does recognize that the earth is heating up. Although the cause may still be under some discussion, mostly by policy makers that have something to lose if we change our current lifestyle, the scientific community does have a very firm grip on what is causing our global climate change. The major cause of global warming is all the pollutants that, since the industrial revolution, have been plaguing our planet. Of course the simplest way to combat global warming would be to stop saturating our atmosphere with these harmful pollutants.
Some might say that it is unreasonable and totally irrational to completely do away with all of the pollutants industrial society produces, as it has been so deeply ingrained in the dominant way of life. However, there are ways to reduce the amount of pollutants that we produce. Many of these methods may not seem to work immediately and may even seem to have little to no effect at all. However, if all of these methods are integrated, they would have a drastic and perhaps even an exponential effect on the reduction of pollutants such as CO2 in the atmosphere.
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[edit] Problems
First we must examine the problem, and the problem is that there is too much carbon being emitted into the atmosphere. Not surprisingly, the United States produces nearly twice the amount of carbon the European Union and China produce, which is ironic considering that these two regions are our biggest economic competitors, not to mention the other countries of the world that cannot even be compared to the United States. In fact, if you look at each world region’s contribution to global warming, you will find that the United States by a wide margin contributes more than any other country on earth, and even more than some continents combined.
The question of how this was allowed to happen is then raised. And the answer is policy. There is an old saying that goes, “whoever has the gold makes the rules”; well this is especially applicable in United States policy. In fact, the chief of staff for the White House Environmental Office during 4 years of the Bush administration previously was a petroleum lobbyist. And not surprisingly, after leaving the administration, goes on the payroll of Exxon Mobil. So obviously there is another problem in that the salaries of the people that have the power to implement strict policies on carbon emissions depend on emitting carbon into the atmosphere. The more of their product is consumed, the more they get paid, and the more carbon is released into the atmosphere. So the most important and very first change that should be made to reduce carbon emissions is having the right politicians in place to make the right policies concerning such important topics. Once this happens, there will be more opportunity for global cooperation. In fact, almost every country on earth has signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol except for two: Kazakhstan (ratification pending), and not surprisingly, the United States (Australia, the second last major pollutor to ratify, did so in 2007 after the Rudd government took power). Global warming is a global problem as it affects the entire planet. There is very little progress that can be made if there is no cooperation between countries. Even though the United States is the only country to have rejected the Kyoto Protocol, it is the greatest contributor to global warming and is by far the most powerful nation on earth. And until it ratifies the Kyoto Protocol, very little progress will be made.
[edit] Solutions
Now that the problem has been identified, there is room for solutions. One such solution is for cities within the United States to take it on their own to do something about global warming and by doing so, setting examples and trends for the rest of the nation to follow. By doing this, a message will be sent to whatever administration is in charge that they are not representing the people, and that a change must take place. Already, there are many cities in more than 40 states that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol, most of them being in California. This is already a clear indication that the current administration does not represent the people in at least this respect.
[edit] Transport
Once the United States, and the world begins to cooperate with each other, we can have a drastic change in the ill-fated direction that our planet is heading in. A major change that the entire world should strive to accomplish is a change in tronsport methods, from individual to mass public transport, and to alternative fuels to power motorized vehicles, or at the very least, to vastly increase fuel efficiency. The most successful car companies are already the ones that have the highest fuel efficiencies; it is just a matter of time before the rest of the world, i.e. the United States, catches on and makes the stride to catch up with the rest of the planet. Japan and the European Union already have cars with fuel economies of greater than 40 MPG. Even China, Australia and Canada have laws that prohibit the production of any car with a fuel economy of less than 30 MPG. The United States, however, currently has a standard of about 24 MPG, almost half of what is prohibited under Japanese and European law!
[edit] Stationary energy
Other such methods to reduce carbon emissions are to greatly reduce, and ideally eliminate, our dependence on fossil fuels. This will be somewhat difficult to enact because mankind has settled into a comfortable position of burning these scarce fuels. There are already alternatives to this, such as solar and wind power, hydroelectric dams, and geothermal power plants. These sources of energy prove that there are alternatives to burning fossil fuels. Mankind has made so many amazing advances in every field since the renaissance. All that is required now is a global cooperation to once again put our heads together and come up with ways to still provide the energy that is the fertilizer of our way of life, but also to protect our planet, that has been and will most likely always be our only home.
