Learning to Reject Climate Change

I just came across a great article on NPR. Great in that it was extremely informative and gave me some insight on something that, as a climate change educator, has continually perplexed me. The content itself, however, was not as great for climate change educators like myself. Go ahead and read the NPR article here.

The sum of the debate is that the number of republicans who support climate change legislation is decreasing, through term limits and changes of opinion. GOP candidates don't want to lose money or votes by supporting climate change legislation, even if they did support it a year or two ago. Its better to change their opinion than get insulted by members of the party. And those who DO still stand up for sound, well-supported science are being scoffed at.

Unfortunately, many individuals see climate change as a political issue instead of a scientific issue. Of course, it is a political issue, but disagreeing on how to treat climate change (a perfectly acceptable political discussion; cap and trade, carbon tax, etc.), is very different from the denialist opinion that it isn't happening so why should we spend money or time on it. That opinion is contrary to everything shown by thousands and thousands of scientists. Anyone with an understanding of the scientific method can see that there is substantial scientific evidence for human-made climate change, shown by thousands of scientists independently. An aside, if you have EVER tried to get even 10 academics to agree on something, you'd know what an amazing feat it has been to get thousands of scientists to agree on climate change. Conspiracy? I think not.

Let's argue politically about what to do with our future carbon emissions, not whether or not they create a problem. Hand-picking a few flawed graphs or arguments about the degree of change within a certain aspect of climate to promote the *fallacy* of human-made climate change is as bad as the non-scientific attacks on evolution made by creationists. Let's buck up on our science, both Democrats and Republicans alike, and work together for the betterment of the US and the world!

NPR...

There was a great segment on NPR (National Public Radio) today from a UC Berkeley Linguist who believes that the problem with climate change is the way it's framed and the term Global Warming...

Listen Here: NPR

A car that gets 100+ MPG?

That's right. A group of Cornell University engineering students have advanced to the next level in the Automotive X Prize competition sponsored by Progressive Insurance. The team is working to build and design a car that will get 100+ MPG! The prize is $10-million! Good luck Big Red!

Learn More: Automotive X Prize


Photo: Cornell Chronicle

International Day of Climate Action

On October 24, people from around the region will gather at Tompkins County Community College (TC3) as part of the largest global day of climate action ever. The event—one of more than 2,000 rallies in more than 140 nations—is coordinated by 350.org to urge world leaders to take fast and effective action on global warming. This is the first global campaign ever organized around a scientific data point: 350 parts per million CO2 is the safe upper limit for the atmosphere according to the latest scientific data.

Climate change could be the biggest challenge facing this and future generations. Attend this event at TC3 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to learn how to lower your carbon footprint to ensure a healthy family and community. Participants will learn firsthand how to increase energy efficiency, lower consumption, and save money. Local groups will discuss local, national, and international issues in celebration of 350.org's International Day of Climate Action. Learn more at tc3.edu. PRI and its Museum of the Earth will be represented alongside the Cayuga Nature Center by James Dake at the event. Stop by and see James and learn what the CNC and PRI are doing to help the cause!

PRI has also partnered with Cornell's Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell Cinema, and Cornell Center for Sustainable Future for a special showing of the film "An Inconvenient Truth" at 7:30 followed by a presentation led by Cornell University professor Charles Greene entitled "A Very Inconvenient Truth" in the HEC Auditorium in Goldwyn Smith Hall on the Cornell campus.

Green Jobs and Green Homes for New York State

Today, New York Governor David Patterson signed the "Green Jobs, Green Homes" bill into law while on a visit to Syracuse, NY. News 10 Now states that " middle-class homeowners will be able to receive up to $13,000 and businesses up to $26,000 to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings."

For more information on this story please check it out here: News 10 Now

Marcellus Shale in the News

There's an interesting article in today's Ithaca Journal about the Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement On the Oil, Gas and the Solution Mining Regulatory Program from the New York State D.E.C. (We blogged about this last Thursday: Marcellus Shale).

Read the article here:

Natural gas quest: Technical report carving deep divisions between gas companies and industry critics

Happening Now...

NPR is live streaming President Obamas address at the United Nations on the subject of Climate Change.

Watch here:

Happening Now: Obama Says Time Is Running Out On Climate Change

Let us know what you think of President Obamas address in the comments section.

Environment: Climate Activists Rise Up at Niagara Falls

WireTap Magazine - Environment: Climate Activists Rise Up at Niagara Falls

Interesting article of what happened in the early hours of September 15th in Niagara Falls, NY.



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Cornell's climate plan cuts carbon emissions to zero by 2050, saves millions of dollars

Cornell's new Climate Action Plan, released Sept. 15, will not only make the university far more energy efficient but also could save Cornell hundreds of millions of dollars over the next 40 years. Presented entirely online in a paperless format, the plan seeks to enhance the university's core mission of academics, research and outreach, while cutting net carbon emissions to zero by 2050. The plan includes 19 specific actions across five key areas -- green development, energy conservation, fuel mix and renewable energy, transportation, and carbon offsetting actions.

Read More: Cornell Chronicle Online

Steven Chu -- The Optimist...

Every morning my alarm sounds, not blaring horns, or beeps, or to loud music, but to NPR. This morning I awoke to an interesting interview with Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

Chu knows cleaner coal, new nuclear power plants, more renewable energy — will take time. In a conversation with NPR's Steve Inskeep, he lays out ambitious plans for the country's energy future: NPR Morning Edition -- Energy Secretary 'Optimistic' But Cautious

Sprawl: a problem without a solution?

I got this great article from Terrapass.com and wanted to share it with you:

Adam Stein | September 3, 2009

New study suggest we need to look elsewhere to curb carbon emissions

Dueling headlines cropped up in my newsreader today:

More People, Less Driving: The Imperative of Curbing Sprawl (Smart Growth America)

Vs.:

Forget Curbing Suburban Sprawl: Building denser cities would do little to reduce CO2 emissions, a new NAS report concludes (MIT Technology Review)

Both articles refer to the same study, conducted by a blue-ribbon panel for the U.S. Department of Energy. And both are pretty much right: the study does affirm the link between sprawl and carbon emissions, but it also strongly suggests that attacking sprawl is a tough way to curb energy use.

Despite the common-sense link between density and driving, establishing cause and effect in a rigorous manner remains difficult. The sheer number of variables tend to overwhelm the analysis. Nevertheless, empirical evidence does support a link between land use and vehicle miles traveled (VMT). The MIT Technology Review summarizes the study’s conclusion thusly:

Even if 75 percent of all new and replacement housing in America were built at twice the density of current new developments, and those living in the newly constructed housing drove 25 percent less as a result, CO2 emissions from personal travel would decline nationwide by only 8 to 11 percent by 2050, according to the study. If just 25 percent of housing units were developed at such densities and residents drove only 12 percent less as a result, CO2 emissions would be reduced by less than 2 percent by 2050.

In other words, an enormous shift in land development trends yields a roughly 10% cut in emissions over 40 years. A more modest shift in land development trends yields a fairly anemic drop in emissions over 40 years. Vehicle fuel efficiency provides a much bigger lever for lowering emissions from transportation. This is what I was getting at the other day when I said, “If your car runs on electricity, and your electricity comes from the sun, and your McMansion is built to the Passive House standard, then your suburban lifestyle is suddenly looking a lot more benign.”

All that being the case, the study sensibly recommends a variety of policies to promote compact, mixed-use development. There are a number of good reasons to pursue smart land use policies, even if attacking sprawl isn’t likely to save us from climate change in the near- or even medium-term.

The first is that many anti-sprawl measures are just good policy in their own right. Carbon taxes, gas taxes, transit development, better zoning laws, etc., all make sense regardless of their immediate payback in reduced gasoline consumption. And, of course, sprawl has environmental impacts beyond just VMT.

The second is that we’re stuck with our built environment for a very long time, so if we want the future to look different than the past, we had better get started making some changes. As Ryan Avent reminds us, “Between now and mid-century, the country will very nearly have to build itself all over again to accommodate population growth. In addition to the 100 million homes now in America, somewhere between 62 and 105 million more will be built.” Examples such as Portland show that it is possible to buck the dominant trend in development. But it takes a few decades for the results to really show.

Regreening the Galapagos?

There was an interesting article in the September issue of WIRED magazine about the greening of the Galapagos Islands. The government there is embarking on several projects to turn the isolated archipelago into a more self-sufficient and non-fuel aided country. They rebuilt their fuel depots in 2004 to become one of the safest in the Americas, they have embarked on bringing wind power to one of the islands, in 2004 the reinforced their electrical grid with solar panels, and they are bringing bio-diesel generators to the islands, and finally they are giving their main airport a makeover which include solar panels, a concrete runway, and a terminal that captures the breeze for cooling.

Is it enough?

Cornell's Solar House

Ithaca Journal – A house powered by the sun, Big-Red style

It’s got a kitchen island that unfolds into a table seating eight, a rain showerhead and tankless toilet in the bath, a bed that can be lowered for non-sleeping space, and furniture made from bourbon barrels.

It evokes images of New York farm silos, has three rooms, has Energy Star-rated appliances, and is yours for $199,000. You have to provide the land, but not the power: It all comes from the sun. That’s the rule.

The house is the Cornell University entrant in the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2009 Solar Decathlon Contest. Multi-disciplinary teams from universities across the country design, build and deliver prototypes of solar-powered houses. Cornell’s entry was the work of a team of students representing such fields as architecture, marketing, engineering, business, landscape architecture and communications. Their work will be on display at the New York State Fair in Syracuse through Labor Day, then will be shipped to the National Mall in Washington for the contest in October along with the other 19 entries.

Continued at Source – ithacajournal.com (photo slideshow at source)

The greenest city in America?

What's the Greenest City in America? Could it possibly be the island of Manhattan?

The greenest city in America - Carbon footprint, Cities, Energy efficiency | TerraPass: Fight global warming, reduce your carbon footprint

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What states will be hit the hardest by climate change?

Image from The Huffington Post

Interesting article on The Huffington Post:

Climate change is, in fact, a regional issue, but not in the short-term way that the coal senators think, according to new analysis from The Nature Conservancy. The environmental group finds that rural Midwestern states will face the greatest consequences of climate change.

Read More: Small Midwestern States to Be Hit Hard by Climate Change

Patterson Announces Plan for New Economy

Could New York lead the country in the drive to create new technology? That's what Governor Paterson is saying. Tamara Lindstrom tells us how his new plan to bring together university researchers and business leaders just might edge the state to the forefront of the energy industry.-News 10 Now

Read the whole article here: Patterson Announces Plan for New Economy

Lobbyist and Fake Letters?

I came across an interesting article about letters that were sent to the US Congress and Senate regarding the "Climate Bill" that passed the House and will eventually move its way through the Senate. It seems that 13 letters that were sent in opposition to the bill were actually sent by a lobbying firm that was hired to help in the opposition of this bill.

The article is from the Guardian a news outlet in the United Kingdom. I haven't heard much about it here in the states.

Here's the article: US Congress inquiry reveals fake letters from 'voters' opposed to climate bill!

What do you think? Have lobbyist gone to far on this issue? What do you think about the bill? Let us know in the comments section!

Paperless Textbooks?

It seems that some Universities are looking at using the KindleDX from Amazon in an effort to be more "green". Six universities will be piloting this program: Pace University, Princeton University, University of Virginia, Arizona State University and Reed College.

Learn more: The New York Times

What do you think of this program? Let us know in the comments section.

The Power of Two...

I just came across this great blog post from Planet Green about two teachers from New York City who really got their recycling program going.

"New York City schools have been legally required to recycle since 1989, but until recently, the only schools that actually did were ones in which faculty members took it upon themselves to implement the practice. Enter Micki Josi and Coquille Houshour!" Read more of this blog post at www.planetgreen.discovery.com

Enjoy!

Climate Change: A Threat to National Security?

I came across this great article on the New York Times website this past Saturday. It's a pretty interesting and compelling read. It speaks to how the United States is having to think about Climate Change as a threat to our security at home and abroad.

I must admit that I had not thought of climate change in these terms. It gives one pause when you do!

It's interesting what our nations military are having to prepare for. See below:

An exercise last December at the National Defense University, an educational institute that is overseen by the military, explored the potential impact of a destructive flood in Bangladesh that sent hundreds of thousands of refugees streaming into neighboring India, touching off religious conflict, the spread of contagious diseases and vast damage to infrastructure. “It gets real complicated real quickly,” said Amanda J. Dory, the deputy assistant secretary of defense or strategy, who is working with a Pentagon group assigned to incorporate climate change into national security strategy planning.

To read more of this interesting article follow the link after the jump:

Science / Environment

Climate Change Seen as Threat to U.S. Security

By JOHN M. BRODER

Published: August 9, 2009

A growing number of policy makers say that the world’s rising temperatures, surging seas and melting glaciers are a direct threat to the national interest.