We Can Help Fight Climate Change

For the first time, scientists have recently linked global warming to powerful hurricanes like Katrina, more intense and longer droughts, less snow in many areas, stronger winds, and (at least in northern latitudes) heavier rain. If CO2 emissions continue even at moderate rates, Earth will warm another 4º to 7º versus the total 1º temperature increase in the last century. There are some changes we can make in our daily lives—beginning now—to help address the climate crisis.

Time For Change

“All trucks, all trains, all airplanes, cars, motorcycles, and boats in the United States—that’s 7.3 percent of global emissions,” says Gregg Marland, a fossil fuel expert at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Replacing all fossil-fuel powered electric plants worldwide with nuclear power plants, solar panels, and windmills would be much more effective—reducing CO2 by 39 percent worldwide, he says. Currently, the U.S.—with only 4.5 percent of Earth’s population—produces one quarter of the world’s CO2. China claims 20 percent of the world’s population and 14.5 percent of global emissions.

Unless we make a prompt shift away from our dependence on coal and oil and aggressively expand nonpolluting energy sources, we can expect rising seas, as polar ice melts. Global climate change will not only impact river flow in many parts of the world but also disrupt water storage for major cities worldwide. With glaciers disappearing, “we are using reserves that are being reduced,” says hydrologist Robert Gallaire. “We have to ask, what happens in 50 years? Fifty years, you know, is tomorrow.”

What We Can Do

As mind boggling as the climate change is, each of us can make small adjustments in the way we live that will, indeed, slow its effects. Here are a just a few.

1 Buy organic to support sustainable farming, which uses less fossil fuels than conventional farming. Organic methods also improve soil quality and help to prevent soil erosion. Not only are toxic and persistent pesticides in conventional foods risky for consumers and the environment, but pesticides’ manufacture, shipping, and application use fossil fuels better utilized elsewhere.

2 Eat more organic plant foods, which require less energy to produce than animal foods. Plant farming also uses less water, which is fast becoming a precious commodity, and creates less pollution in our rivers and marine ecosystems. Organic corn and soybean yields are higher than conventional yields in drought situations. For example, conventional soybean production is 20 percent less efficient than organic soy.

3 Replace standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), also called CF bulbs. Every replaced bulb cuts approximately 1,300 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. A compact fluorescent light uses only about one-fourth the energy of an incandescent bulb. Australia’s government announced recently that it plans to ban incandescent bulbs within three years. If you’re currently using a traditional 60-watt bulb, try replacing it with a 15-watt CF bulb. Log on to www.environmentaldefense.org or www.energystar.gov to learn more about energy-efficient CFLs.

4 Hang a clothesline: Not using your clothes dryer could save 1,016 pounds of CO2 annually. Wash laundry in cold water and run only full loads in your clothes- or dishwasher. Replace old appliances with Energy Star models and choose refrigerators that fit your family’s needs (bigger is no longer better).

5 Recycle and reuse aluminum, glass, metal, paper, and plastic to save 1,20