A 50 mpg Pick-Up Truck
By Shannon Scott
In
In February the EPA’s Green House Gas Reporting
Program (GHGRP) released data for the 2011 reporting year. The EPA collects detailed greenhouse gas
information from industries around the country. More than 8,000 facilities in 9 industry
categories reported CO² emissions, some from here in Nevada. The 9 industry categories include: power
plants, petroleum and natural gas systems, refineries, chemicals, “other”
(includes electrical equipment, underground coal mines, electronics, ethanol,
production, and others), waste, metals, minerals, pulp and paper.
Why does the EPA’s
Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program require reporting greenhouse gas data from
large industry sources?
Because human caused
greenhouse gas emissions have rapidly escalated climate change.
When we burn coal, oil,
and gas to generate electricity, fuel buildings, operate businesses, and drive
our cars we produce heat trapping emissions like CO². Fortunately the U.S. is beginning to act
responsibly, out of necessity more than ethical imperatives, developing and
implementing practical solutions to climate change.
The argument that Earth
naturally undergoes heating and cooling cycles is only valid up until the
industrial revolution. Since then, we’ve
added so much human industry- caused CO², other greenhouse gasses, and ozone
depleting chemicals into the atmosphere that we’ve created a hole in the once
protective blanket of ozone surrounding Earth.
2012 was the hottest in global history and one of the most disaster laden.
Why should we care about
climate change?
When the Earth heats up,
water evaporates. Without water, without
irrigation, without food, we endanger our health, and risk our national
security. Wars have been and will be
fought over water.
Food prices continue to
rise. We are not and have not been in an
inflationary period for many years. Food
is more costly due to supply and demand – droughts in the Midwest, the smallest
cattle herds in over 60 years, storm-caused problems in transportation, and so
forth. Global climatic conditions have already taken
a small toll on quality of life for many who have trouble affording
groceries.
The Australian continent
is cooking and drying up faster than we can say heat wave. Temperatures in excess of 110°F across the
continents’ interior were common over the last few months, to say nothing of
the ravaging wildfires and lack of water.
Cattle and sheep burned or died of thirst. The Australian economy took a knock-down
blow. Recovery appears dismal.
When I was young, in the
mid 1960s, I remember my father saying that “Someday Canada may be the
wealthiest country in the world due to their fresh water supplies.” With glaciers melting, sea levels rising,
vast global droughts, and horrendous storms knocking out potable water systems,
Canada has remained resource strong with a healthier economic standing than
ours. I wished I would have recognized that sage
foresight and invested in pretty, forested Canadian land.
Severe flooding, extended
droughts, uncontrollable wild fires, and other disasters, such as hurricanes
that ravaged the U.S. must catalyze more than disaster-relief assistance. These epic catastrophes must outrage us
enough to boycott industry products that have lobbied and paid for mass media
campaigns that raise doubts in people’s minds about the actuality and causes of
global warming.
Quality of life,
economic health, and whole nations of people are plummeting into dire straits
due to the climate crisis. This is one
reason the EPA, private groups, and major national interests around the globe,
such as the U.S., China, the countries in western Europe and elsewhere, monitor
carbon emissions and work together to create cleaner industrial practices. Despite what some U.S. inhabitants hesitate
to accept, cutting CO² gasses and carbon emissions is necessary for surviving
with any semblance of peace and quality of life.
Here’s what the Union of
Concerned Scientists suggests we should lobby for and implement:
Push
for more fuel efficient, clean vehicles. I will trade in my Dodge Cummins
¾ ton, for a heavy-duty high mileage efficient pick-up truck, but as yet there
aren’t any 50 mpg full size trucks out there.
All those in favor write your legislators at the state and federal level
to encourage increased mileage standards.
This not only saves us fuel costs, it helps to make U.S. companies more
globally competitive. I
Limit
the amount of carbon that industries emit. The GHGRP mentioned above is
where we start, collecting baseline data, and monitoring reductions year to
year.
Invest
in clean energy and efficient industries, technologies, and methods or
approaches to conducting business. Venture capitalists are doing it. Smart, progressive nations with better health
care, education, and economies than ours are doing it. It’s time the U.S. stepped up to the clean
industry plate, investing in research and development of new technologies that
American owned companies can market worldwide.
Expand
use of renewable energy.
This is beginning to happen with proposed mandates requiring energy
suppliers to obtain a high percentage of their power from renewable
sources.
This is controversial
for hydroelectric sources, since they don’t emit greenhouse gasses and have
relatively inconsequential effects on climate change. Hydroelectric, where most of our power comes
from here in northeastern Nevada and across the Pacific Northwest, is clean,
but is it renewable? This debate occurs
at our dinner table, in boardrooms, and within legislative committees across the
country.
Don’t
buy products produced from deforested tropical areas. Tropical deforestation and wildfires, contribute wildly to greenhouse
gasses. The rate of deforestation, the
corresponding reduction on oxygen output, soil erosion, loss of habitat and
other problems contributes greatly to climate disruption.
Take
all measures available to reduce use and dependency upon coal, oil, and natural
gas.
Go solar. For backup heat in our
area use electric in high efficiency furnace systems combined with passive
solar designed homes.
Taking measures to
reduce global warming/climate change is our moral obligation to our children
and their children. Act. Greening up is easier than you think. And if you’re the person who invents the 50
mpg truck, give me a call, I’ve got my checkbook ready.
Shannon Scott
is a green home owner, builder, and LEED Green Associate. If you’re interested in upcoming green
building, hands-on straw bale home building workshops, she can be reached at: greenmeansnv@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment