Student Tribune
Green Tip: Climate Change
Climate change and global warming are hot topics. In September, a record 7.6
million people took to the streets to strike for climate action world-wide in a
Global Climate Strike to demand urgent action on what is described as an
ecological emergency. "World
Scientists' Warning of a Climate Emergency" was published on November 5 in
the Viewpoint section of BioScience which states "...we declare, with more than
11,000 scientist signatories from around the world, clearly and unequivocally
that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency." https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biz0
88.
In October 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a
unit created by the United Nations to provide policymakers with scientific
assessments related to climate change, issued a special report warning that
temperature rise must be limited to 1.5°C in order to avoid the most drastic
effects of global warming. We are already past 1°C as compared to
pre-industrial levels.
What can be done?
Aside from the multitudes of researchers studying the climate and changes
currently, there are also several organizations working to identify and
implement solutions such as Project
Drawdown which is "shifting the global conversation about climate change
from "doom and gloom" defeatism to one of possibility, opportunity, action, and
empowerment."
Some colleges are taking action to reduce campus emissions, such as the
University of Pennsylvania with President Gutmann's 100x42 carbon neutrality
pledge--a 100% carbon neutral campus by 2042 in the Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0.
There are numerous suggestions for personal lifestyle changes that can help
reduce your carbon impact on the climate. Here are some suggestions from "10 Solutions for Climate Change" published in Scientific American. Pick
one or two and make a change!
- Transportation is the second leading source of greenhouse
gas emissions in the US.
Move closer to work, work from home, use mass transit, walk, cycle,
or carpool.
- Cutting back on consumption results in fewer fossil fuels burned to
extract, produce, and ship goods.
Buy less stuff. Carry a reusable shopping bag, buy items that are
projected to last longer, buy in bulk so there is less packaging.
- Americans spend around $165 per household per year (totaling $19 billion
nation-wide) for electricity for devices that are off. All things plugged in
will bleed some energy, called 'standby', 'phantom', or 'vampire' electricity
loss, since even turned off, many appliances will still draw power.
Unplug! Use power strips to make this job easier. Turn off your
monitor since screen savers don't save energy. Turn items off even if you don't
unplug since devices turned on consume the most power.
Penwarden, Ann
Sustainability Steering Committee’s Recycling Committee
11/13/2019