Are we seriously still having this argument? Climate change is real, folks.

I'll admit it. I'm one of those people who on the whole ignores the midterm elections. I've never lived in a state where shake-ups could happen during a mid-term election and so I've become comfortable with the idea of just 'sit and watch' over the years. But this year's primaries have shot this complacent little ecologist right out of her chair and up on two feet with both arms flailing. Why? Because I suddenly noticed a consistent line being towed by several of the senatorial candidates.

In New Hampshire, all of the GOP potentials are in agreement that climate change due to humans has not been proven. New Mexico GOP candiadates think that "it's not real." In Alaska GOP/Tea Party candidate Joe Miller "hasn't heard about it." Wisconsin hopeful Ron Johnson "absolutely does not believe in the science of man-caused climate change." In fact the only GOP candidate supporting climate action is Mike Castle, from Delaware.

I'm equally frustrated with the candidates on every side who won't vocally speak out in support of the overwhelming scientific evidence that global warming is happening seemingly because it's just not a popular stance. By not advocating for climate change action, these candidates are complicitly contributing to the idea that climate change might not be real.

How can we still be having this argument? Have we landed back in 1992? Cause I really don't want to have to go through the horror of having to wear braces and headgear all over again. Seriously though, in case you're on the fence about this whole "global warming thing", here are a couple of models that I think help explain the problem.

Happy Earth Day

It's hard (at least for me) to think about Earth Day without at least thinking about some of the issues we have created for our little blue planet.

So I offer, this presentation which summarizes the proposal published in Science back in 2006 by Pacala and Socolow based on their studies at Princeton University. While I do not agree with every recommendation suggested (I am strongly opposed to corn and soy-based ethanol) I do think it does a decent job of quantifying attainable solutions to curbing carbon emissions in the immediate future.

For those naysayers (Hi, Dad!) who do not think the retooling of a green America is feasible, I offer this point. At the start of the US involvement of World War II, the following wartime production goals were issued on January 6, 1942:

• 45,000 tanks
• 60,000 planes – (229,000 produced by 1945)
• 20,000 anti-aircraft guns
• 6 million tons of merchant shipping
• Production of Automobiles was banned for 3 Years

It took only five months to restructure the economy.
Recycling, particularly of metals, on a large scale was enforced.
Victory gardens and rationing encouraged less waste and locally grown produce.

If we could do that based on the technology of the 1940s, surely we are even more capable of greater innovations today.

At this point in the post I was going to address the concerns of those who feel that the climate crisis is exaggerated, unreasonable or otherwise imaginary...(Hi, again, Dad!) but I don't think that focusing on the gloom and doom is the best way to move forward, so instead, I offer some resources for those who are interested in resizing their carbon footprint.

The Lazy Environmentalist http://www.lazyenvironmentalist.com/books/ is a great resource for finding cheap ways to make easy, environmentally friendly choices.

Carbon Footprint Calculator: http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/

Home Energy Saver: http://hes.lbl.gov/ The Home Energy Saver was the first Internet-based tool for calculating energy use in residential buildings. I used this site recently to complete a home energy audit of my parents' house.

Department of Energy:
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy – Do It Yourself Audit
http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/energy_audits/index.cfm/mytopic=11160
Information for Apartments
http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/apartments/index.cfm/mytopic=10010

Energy Savers: Tips for saving energy at home: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/home_energy.html

Energy Guide: Smart Energy Choices http://www.energyguide.com/ A tool to help analyze your energy consumption.

Energy Information Administration: http://www.eia.doe.gov/
EIA is the Nation’s premier source of unbiased energy data, analysis and forecasting. EIA provides this information to promote sound policy making, efficient energy markets, and public understanding about energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment. By law, EIA’s products are prepared independently of Administration policy considerations. EIA neither formulates nor advocates any policy conclusions. This isan excellent resource to look at national energy data and economic or event-driven issues that may impact theenergy market.


Happy Earth Day, Everyone!