Facing the Worst Threat

By Lee Bidgood, Jr.
Conservation Chair
SE Volusia Audubon Society, Inc.

“It [climate change] is the greatest environmental health problem the world has ever faced.” Carol Browner, Chair, Audubon Board of Directors, quoted in the December 2003 Audubon Magazine.

Florida needs help. Prized ecosystems, especially the Everglades, would probably be damaged beyond recovery by unchecked global warming. Countless species would be imperiled by higher temperatures, rising sea levels, stronger storms and exotic invaders.

Let’s call it global heating; “warming” sounds too benign. Average global temperatures climbed 1ºF in the last century, and heating has accelerated. Virtually all scientists blame human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide, for part or most of the heating and expect another 3º F to 11º F temperature rise this century. Computer models of climate correctly predicted that weather extremes would increase with global heating. Downpours instead of gentle rains, blizzards, killer heat waves and scorching droughts have become more common worldwide.

Four devastating hurricanes hit the state, but most Floridians seem unaware that warming seas fuel more powerful hurricanes. Wind damage pales beside potential flooding. Two or three foot higher sea levels, as projected by climate models, would mean catastrophic damage to coastal communities and ecosystems by a powerful hurricane striking at high tide. A lingering nor’easter could wreak even more havoc.

Climatologists studying earth’s geological history have established that atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations have varied in tandem with earth’s average temperature for some 400,000 years. Greenhouse gas buildup shows no sign of abating and threatens to exceed prehistoric peaks over that time span. Greater polar warming was correctly predicted by climate models. Arctic temperatures have risen about twice the amount as elsewhere, and the Antarctic Peninsula has warmed 4.5 ºF in the last half century.

Glaciers are melting faster on six continents. Greenland, essentially an ice mountain, now has a summer melt line above 6,500 feet or over halfway to its top. Melted ice from Greenland would raise sea level around 24 feet, which is unlikely this millennium. But even a 10 or 20 percent melt would mean a Florida calamity.

Shrinking arctic ice and snow cover is exposing dark water, rocks, soil and vegetation that retain four to eight times as much solar heat as white snow and ice. Scientists term this ‘positive feedback’. In other words, global heating reinforces itself.

What should you do about this threat?

You can cut your family’s greenhouse gas emissions and set an example for friends and neighbors. Most of these suggestions will save money as well:

• For your next car, buy a higher mpg vehicle. New hybrids offer a range of models. My early model has averaged over 68 mpg in four years. Walk or ride a bicycle when you can and enjoy the health benefits.
  
• In replacing appliances, select for top-rated energy efficiency. Consider installing a solar thermal water heater; it can be a good investment.
  
• If your local utility offers a “green power” option, support it. Such programs feature energy purchased from renewable sources, financed by consumers volunteering to pay a small additional monthly fee.
  
• A few non-profit municipal utilities have offered solar photovoltaic (PV) installations largely subsidized by government. Participate if you have the opportunity and can afford your share of the installation cost.
  
• Make sure your house is properly insulated; many utilities provide a low-cost evaluation. Avoid over-heating in winter and excessive air conditioning in summer. Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent types. Turn off unnecessary lights and unplug idle appliances. Install low-flow shower heads to save hot water. Dry clothes outside when practicable. Recycle and use recycled products as feasible.
  
• Trees soak up carbon dioxide and will provide summer shade and restrain cold winter winds if strategically placed. Use lawn fertilizers sparingly, preferably organic types. Don’t water excessively. Florida lawns can flourish without pesticides and be havens for birds and other wildlife. ‘Pesticides’ include insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and other ‘cides’ derived from petroleum. Many studies have shown that lawn pesticide use is associated with higher levels of cancer in toddlers and pets. For 25 years, I have maintained a pesticide-free lawn that is green and inviting, but not a monoculture.

Using energy more efficiently reduces greenhouse gas emissions and prepares for the time when cheap petroleum products become only a memory. But we need to do much more.

Audubon members should demand that government leaders require compulsory energy efficiency laws, such as minimum mpg vehicle fleet limits. Voluntary measures aren’t enough. Several major firms have saved money by reducing waste and greenhouse emissions, but will go no further without assurance of competitive equality—that is a “level playing field” set by law.

Lavish subsidies now benefit mature and shrinking industries that provide and process fossil fuels, including uranium. This money should be redirected to growing renewable energy enterprises that will more than replace jobs inevitably lost in fossil fuel industries. Incidentally, hydrogen is not an energy source; it is an energy carrier and means of storing energy from another source, preferably renewable. Hydrogen’s future utility depends on developing economical renewable energy sources along with infrastructure to distribute it.

Most importantly, limiting global heating requires international efforts. Our nation must cooperate in cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Only powerful grassroots pressure is likely to force our government to adopt energy policies that will preserve Florida’s ecology and economy for future generations. Audubon should be leading in this effort.

References

1. 1. Audubon booklet, “CO₂ Diet for a Green house Planet: A Citizen’s Guide for Slowing Global Warming,” by DeCicco, Cook, Bolze and Beyea, published June, 1990.
   
2. Audubon Magazine, special issue of December 2003, Global Warning, Confronting Climate Change: How the World Can Keep Its Cool.