Climate Change

 

Remember the good 'ol days when our biggest environmental problems were local issues such as polluted air of lakes and streams? How quickly the problems have elevated to the global level. Mankind's ability to develop technologies to make our lives more comfortable along with the constantly increasing number of people on this planet puts pressure on the life support systems on which we all depend.

This column is, by definition, a column of chitchat or informal information sharing. I recently retired, but have maintained my interest in global issues. I'm going to share bits and pieces of climate change information that I have found. Is any of this information peer-reviewed? Some is, while the rest is contained in articles I found interesting as I roamed the Web and read science magazines. I hope at least some of this information is new to you and interesting as well.

Scientists in the early 1990s predicted that climate changes would begin during the middle of the century. They warned that it would first be expressed through more severe storms and weather events, and that the greatest impact would occur in the Arctic. Wow, was their timing off! We are already experiencing more fierce storms, record-breaking floods and droughts, and massive forest fires that convert our forests from carbon sinks to contributors of carbon into the atmosphere. As for the Artic, it's supposed to be ice-free by 2030.

There is growing concern about the speed at which climate change events will occur. For example, two leading scientists, one in the United States and the other in the United Kingdom, (U.K.) express concern that we may be close to a tipping point that will lead to the total loss of Greenland Ice (a sea level rise of 20 feet). They cite positive feedback, such as the release of methane (a very active greenhouse gas) from melting permafrost and the heat absorbing dark surfaces that are exposed by melted ice sheets as causes of concerns. None of this positive feedback has been included in computer programs that analyze and predict impacts of climate change.

A recent report from the National Academy of Sciences finds that the CO2 levels in the atmosphere are rising faster than any climate models predict. A researcher from the U.K., studying trees in the Amazon, is finding that the tropical rainforests are not sequestering as much CO2 as earlier studies had predicted. Plus, Tropical Research Institute scientists have found that trees in the tropics are beginning to grow more slowly, a sign that they may already be suffering from climate change. Another report from Britain reveals the rate at which the Atlantic absorbs CO2 has been decreasing over the past decade. A NOAA cruise last year discovered the oceans are becoming acidic as CO2 reacts in water to form carbonic acid. Who would have thought that we could change something as large as the oceans?

All this work raises alarm that the IPCC report, issued in February 2007, is already obsolete and that we will experience climate change events more quickly and more severely than the report predicts. In the analogy of comparing climate change to pneumonia, we are in the chills and fever stage.

But lets move on from the gloom and doom and look at the positive information I've discovered. For example, there are several interesting research efforts with alternative energy sources. Here, on the Oregon Coast is a major research effort on wave energy. Oregon State University researchers have placed several experimental devices in the ocean and are testing their efficiency at capturing energy from waves.

Other interesting innovations include new applications of nanotechnology, the science of using tiny tubes much smaller in diameter than a human hair. A new type of battery, under development, finds that the tiny tubes are more efficient at capturing energy from the chemical reactions. These batteries produce more energy and are smaller and last much longer. In two years, researchers hope that these batteries will power cars. Nanotechnology has also been used to capture energy from sunlight and offers promise of more efficient and smaller solar panels. Not to be forgotten is the “man on the street” who took matters into his own hands and modified his car with batteries. His car can be driven 500 miles before recharging. Wouldn't it be nice if our local automotive repair shops would offer that service?

Okay, back to the gloom and doom. One survey found 70 percent of Americans believe that climate change is an important issue, but only 25 percent are willing to make any changes to reduce their use of energy. It is too easy to sit back and wait for technology to save us. We all can make some changes to our life styles. Installing energy-saving devices such as efficient appliances or solar water heaters and panels will cut CO2 emissions. Solar energy is expensive, but saves money and reduces energy demand. Here, in cloudy western Oregon, solar water heaters are reported to reduce electric bills enough to pay back the purchase price in five years.

Real action to address climate change must happen at the political level. Congress is now working on an energy bill that requires improved gas mileage on cars up to 35 miles per gallon by the year 2020. Already, there are cars on the road that get better mileage than that! Another survey found that, as an election issue, climate change ranks fourth in importance to most voters. There are those who work to slow progress on addressing climate change. Many corporations earn big profits from the fossil fuel industry and have lobbyists working with politicians to maintain the status quo, the case in point being the low gas mileage requirement.

The “one person one vote” is important, but is it very effective? There are conservation organizations that work for change and can speak for many thousands of members. Some of the most active in addressing climate change are the natural Resources Defense Council and the Friends of the Earth.

Action on this problem has been ignored, delayed, and delayed, again. We can no longer afford to wait! Each of us can contribute by changing to more energy-efficient cars or appliances or by converting to solar energy. If these options are too expensive, then join a conservation organization online. It's easy.

Vicki Osis is a retired marine education specialist from the Oregon State University Sea Grant Program. She is a Past President of the National Marien Educators Association and a founding and active member of the Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators. She resides on the Oregon coast with her husband, Laimons.