We're all in this thing together...That's the refrain in my head as I read the climate change statistics and think about what we can do locally to help. The thing is, we are doing things locally: Mayor Kruzan is one of 16 mayors in Indiana to sign the Climate Protection Agreement, backed up by city-wide efforts to keep it clean.
Relative to the current seven billion people on the planet, Bloomington is a speck. How many of those seven billion care about climate change enough to act and even if they do- is the fact of our existence too much anyways? We need big change, which is slow change. ..unless you consider the tipping point theory. This I can understand: the viral shift in behavior and thinking that actually manifests in change.
Yikes. Walking the line between faith and fear indeed.
Amy, you raise a good points about Roseland's quote being divisive. Even if Bloomington does it's part, if China doesn't then we are still screwed. However, if things are going to get done, someone has to start the process. What do you think is a, or the, tipping point necessary for the US?
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw that U.S. CO2 emissions had actually DROPPED in the last couple of years according to your graph, I was cautiously optimistic. Okay, I’ll be honest: I thought there was a mistake in the data. So I looked it up, and the data don’t lie: “In 2009, energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in the United States saw their largest absolute and percentage decline (405 million metric tons or 7.0 percent) since the start of EIA’s comprehensive record of annual energy data that begins in 1949” (http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/environment/emissions/carbon/).
ReplyDeleteTurns out, the decrease is a combination of factors: GDP, energy intensity of the economy (Btus per unit economic activity), and carbon intensity of energy (emissions per unit energy). Decreases in GDP and energy intensity were both due to the economic downturn. The carbon intensity decrease was due to fuel switching: utilities and industries jumped from coal to natural gas since coal prices increased from 2008 to 2009. AND since natural gas emits less CO2 compared to coal, we get the decrease.
What strikes me is this: “Since 2000, the carbon intensity of energy used…has not decreased (or improved) by as much as 2 percent. A decline in carbon intensity of over 4 percent in the electric power sector and over 3 percent in the industrial sector in the same year is unprecedented.” So because it became cheaper to use natural gas, our CO2 emissions for 2009 went down drastically. Hmm, so if natural gas prices go up (like coal and oil have) and renewables get cheaper…maybe we’ll switch? Oh crap never mind, we’d just use nuclear. Where are the renewable energy subsidies when you need them?
Great post! It reminds me a lot about what we talked about in class today. How professor Barthelmie was saying she thought Europe was doing a pretty good job in reacting to climate change issues (in response to our comments about the average US citizen not really caring very much). She kept championing Denmark as a great example of creative energy use and sustainability, so I decided to check it out:
ReplyDeleteOne of the more interesting sites I found was the Danish Energy Agency site - all sorts of info about renewable energy, climate change adaptation, climate change fact sheets, etc. If you have some time check this site out cause there's all sorts of info and it's very inspiring to see so much climate change and energy policy in one website
http://www.ens.dk/en-us/Sider/forside.aspx
I think your point about China is really interesting. This summer, I participated in the IU at Oxford program and we did a climate negotiation simulation. Our class represented 9 groups (United States, India, China, Brazil, Africa Bloc, Alliance of Small Nations, etc.). My point with this is that we realized together as a group that it was extremely necessary that China and the United States signed on to the climate agreement because without their help, there would be no way to reduce our global emissions and stabilize at 350 ppm.
ReplyDeleteChrissy et al., thanks for the additions. Price controls so much of what we do. For example, when the gas prices went up the past couple years our bicycle dealers in Columbus were speaking about how much their bicycle sales had also gone up.
ReplyDeleteSome complain about gas price increases, but I actually love them (despite the fact I drive approximately 200 miles a week from Columbus to Bloomington). But, then comes the discussion regarding equity. We live in a county without alternative transportation options. If you work in another community, most likely there is no bus nor train to get you to work when you can no longer afford the gas prices, and biking isn't an option when you need to travel a long distance.
However, the encouraging thing I also saw happen with the spike in gas prices was a shift in cars on the roadways. My husband works with quite a few technicians and 3 of them traded their large gas guzzling trucks in for geo metros and 1 even purchased a diesel car and started making biodiesel in his garage. I love stories like this because they show the ingenuity of the general public. We can make changes in our lives and WILL make the changes if necessary (and there is a benefit to your pocket book).