[Sosfbay-discuss] [Fwd: Column - Global Warming]

[Wes Rolley]

I just sent this to the editor of the MH Times.  I will run on Tuesday.  
The column by Burton Anderson that I mentioned was a typical "Global 
Warming is a Hoax" spin that had been slammed by several letters to the 
editor... some of which I saw before they were sent by others.

Wes

-------- Original Message --------

Neither a relatively cool summer nor a few very hot days in late August 
have anything to do with the proof or disproof of a general warming of 
our climate nor the reasons why this might be happening. However, for 
many it is too easy to confuse what is happening in terms of local 
weather as it changes from day to day with the changes that are going on 
in our climate on a global basis.

There are a two basic questions that each of us need to answer. Quite 
simply, they are whether the current warming of this planet is caused by 
human activity, and then what should we do about it.

Any question regarding the causes of the current warming pattern must 
become a matter of facts, not a matter of belief. If it were only a 
question of belief, then we have no way to make a rational decision, 
because you must believe that which you can not prove, an act more in 
line with astrology than with climatology.

If you have a computer, or access to one with good video capability, I 
would suggest that you can visit the web site of Architecture 2030, an 
organization that is dedicated to understanding the science behind 
climate change and using that knowledge in how we design, construct or 
renovate buildings. The exact page is 
http://www.architecture2030.org/faceit/webcast.php You need to view the 
Face It webcast. Architecture 2030 founder, Ed Mazria (A.I.A) is much 
more eloquent that I and has a lot more facts at his finger tips. 
Actually, if you do that you can skip reading the rest of this.

I warn you that this was targeted at students. It uses contemporary 
music to make it's point. However, buried in that Webcast are three 
important facts that Mazria is asking us to face.

As far as I am concerned, the telling facts are in one chart that shows 
the correspondence between green house gases and temperature for the 
last 450 million years. The astounding thing is that the green house gas 
line suddenly goes off the chart in just the last period of industrial 
expansion. This is the most clear, obvious presentation of the basic 
relationship of the atmosphere and temperature that I have seen and the 
implications are undeniable.

I know that there are professional global warming deniers, including 
even some like Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, who take every opportunity 
to create dissension on this subject. Then, Senator Inhofe is from a 
state where oil drives politics.

The second point that Mazria makes is that you must deal with energy use 
in the building sector of our economy. More energy is consumed in 
heating and lighting our buildings than any one other use, including 
transportation (40% vs ~26%). So, if we are going to have a profound 
effect on green house gases, it must be done by changing the way we 
design and construct buildings.

The third fact that Mazria presents is that over two-thirds of all of 
the square footage in our buildings will either be new or have been 
renovated by 2035. That is an amazing statistic. We are going to do all 
of this work on our buildings, tearing down old ones, building new ones, 
renovating most of the remainder anyway. So, the cost of doing things 
the right way is negligible.

Climate change deniers will say that doing anything now will be too 
costly, it will be too risky. It might give someone else (China) an 
economic advantage. I would say that dealing with the problem in the 
building sector is simple. It does not require new and expensive 
technology. All it requires it the will.

Lets make two assumptions: one that Burton Anderson was correct with his 
past column and the other that the majority of climate scientists are 
correct.  If he is correct and we invest in new technologies that will, 
in the long run, deliver cheaper energy with less negative environmental 
impacts, we are still ahead.  However, if the climate scientists are 
correct but we do as the climate change deniers want, then the results 
for the human race could be catastrophic. That is a risk that I will not 
take. Nor would anyone else who worries about the world in which their 
grand children will live.

We can take the first step in solving the problem right here in Morgan 
Hill. This is what we need to do. The City Council should adopt the 
policies set forth by Architecture 2030 as part of their permitting 
process, namely that, beginning in 2010, every new building and major 
renovation should use no more than 50% of the energy of similar building 
in this region. Then, every 5 years, we gear it down a little so that by 
2030, all new construction is carbon neutral.

If we are not willing to do that much, then we are not serious about 
solving the problem.

-- 
"Anytime you have an opportunity to make things better and you don't, then you are wasting your time on this Earth" Roberto Clemente

Wes Rolley
17211 Quail Court, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
http://www.refpub.com/ -- Tel: 408.778.3024




-- 
"Anytime you have an opportunity to make things better and you don't, then you are wasting your time on this Earth" Roberto Clemente

Wes Rolley
17211 Quail Court, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
http://www.refpub.com/ -- Tel: 408.778.3024