Ross Gelbspan, author of The Heat is On, says that our response to the crisis of global warming must be "the social counterpart to a climate snap -- a rapid, immense, worldwide gathering of political will " if humanity is to survive.
Let's be clear that dire predictions are no excuse for despair. Instead we must see the challenge of catastrophic climate change as an opportunity for positive change. But how, you ask, can we make such major cuts so quickly?
Clean, Renewable, Non-nuclear Energy
Oil is responsible for about 44% of U.S. fossil-fuel-related carbon dioxide emissions and coal is responsible for up to another 40%. All coal is a dirty, polluting, non-renewable energy source producing 3.7 million tons of carbon dioxide per year on average. Coal fired power plants emit sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, mercury, arsenic and lead.
There is no such thing as "clean coal." In addition, coal mining companies engage in the heinous practice known as mountain-top removal, destroying life in nearby communities.
Renewable energy sources such as wind, tidal, geothermal, solar and small hydro projects create new economic opportunities and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As an added bonus, renewables increase our energy independence and promote national security.
We must support federal policies to mandate that the production of all America's energy come from 100% clean, renewable, non-nuclear sources of energy by no later than 2018. We must mandate the immediate end to construction of all new coal-fired power plants.
Accidents on the scale of Chernobyl, causing death and deformities for generations, can still occur in all commercial reactor designs. Nuclear waste remains an unsolved problem that poses significant long-term health, environmental and safety risks. We have the technology to develop and use clean, safe, renewable sources of energy and do not need more nuclear power plants.
Gasoline Engines
No matter how much we try to create more efficient, less polluting gasoline engines, they will continue to be an unacceptably large source of greenhouse gas emissions. By no later than 2018 we should entirely replace gasoline-powered engines with a technologically feasible range of options including plug-in electric, hydrogen and fuel cell engines.
Deforestation
Greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation are larger than emissions from vehicles, aircraft, ships and trains combined. The loss of forests is the biggest man-made contributor to climate change after burning fossil fuels, accounting for about 20% of global carbon dioxide emissions per year. The best way to remove vast amounts of carbon from the atmosphere is by maintaining healthy forests, meaning an end to all logging on public lands immediately.
Conservation
Significant advances in conservation do not require large-scale new technology. It requires only changes in our life habits. Other countries -- such as Japan, Italy and France -- are far more efficient in their conservation of energy. Even small increases above the pittance the federal government now spends on programs such as conservation, insulation and energy-efficient appliances, could significantly reduce our energy consumption.
We need federal policies to mandate the reduction of energy consumption by 50% by 2018 through serious conservation incentives and education.
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