Global Warming and You

Global Warming is getting a lot of press these days and the underlying message is we have a very urgent problem, and that action needs to be taken yesterday.  In the United States it seems the message has yet to effectively resonate.  While the western states are jumping ahead in regards to climate change it seems like a relative drop in the bucket when reviewing the larger issue.If Washington, and the Bush Administration, continue dragging their feet on climate change then where are we to look for a solution?  We need to look to each other.  Why - because in some small way we each contribute to the problem and by simply taking responsibility for our actions we do some good.Consider this - in 1950, the global population was 2.6 billion people. We only had 53 million cars,  which is the equivalent of one car for every 50 persons. Today, there are 6 billion people and now have 500 million cars that equals more than one car for every dozen people.With an ever growing population our consumption needs grow as well.  In the previous example it's easy to see how our need for fossil fuel will grow.  Fossil fuel isn't burned in cars alone.  Eighty-five percent of the world's energy consumption consists of the burning of fossil fuels in the form of oil, coal, and natural gas.Depending on whose statistics you use we are either near, at, or past "peak oil."  According to Energy Watch, "Global oil production is currently about 81 million barrels a day and is predicted to fall to 39 million barrels a day by 2030 due to diminishing resources."While 2030 may seem along time from today consider this - each and every day, the worldwide economy burns an amount of energy the planet required 10,000 days to create.Why should I do anything?We need to accept responsibility for our actions and in the appropriate cases make changes in our lives and lifestyles.It's our very actions that are causing global warming.  Global warming is defined in the Kyoto Protocol as "The view that the earth's temperature is being increased, in part, due to emissions of greenhouse gases associated with human activities such as burning fossil fuels, biomass burning, cow and sheep rearing, deforestation and other land use changes."American ConsumptionAs Americans we have even more responsibility.  According to World Resources Institute, in 2003, gasoline consumption per capita in North America was 1,593.1 liters per person, whereas in developing countries it was 59.2 liters per person.  According to the Sierra Club, the average American consumer purchases 53 times as many products as someone in China. One American's consumption of resources is equivalent to that of 35 Indians. Stretched over an entire lifetime, the typical American will create 13 times as much environmental damage as the average Brazilian.What can I do?By becoming aware of your carbon footprint you can make positive change in your life.  While the average American will create 13 times as much environmental damage as the average Brazilian there is no reason for you to be average.Reduce, Re-use and RecycleBy reducing your consumption you can stop the cycle.  By re-using products you can give an old product a new lifetime.  By recycling you can prevent waste from reaching our landfills and re-use valuable elements such as plastic and metal.The Sierra Club tries to encourage people to make what they call "Sustainable and Just Choices."  They want you to ask:

• Where does a particular product come from?
• What are the working conditions like for the person or people who created it?
• Did they receive livable wages?
• From where were the raw resources harvested or mined?
• What impact has their extraction had on the natural environment and nearby communities?
• What are the real costs of this product, factoring in the costs borne by people, the environment, and future generations?

I like to think sustainable and just choices start but don't stop with those questions.  In my sustainable and just choices I include the three R's (Reduce, Re-use and Recycle).The future is what we make it and by making sustainable and just choices we can all do our part.