Biological and Environmental Sciences Directorate

Seminar Series

Elizabeth Peelle [Abstract]
February 14 , 2008
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Building 1505, D. J. Nelson Auditorium

Elizabeth Peelle: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint: Getting Serious at Last

Now that global climate change has been recognized as urgent (aka The Ultimate Balloon Mortgage on our future), we revisit what individuals can do to reduce their carbon footprints. Ongoing unexpected increases in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions challenge prior assumptions that we might have about a decade before various climate tipping points are reached. The major lifestyle and legislative changes needed require massive shifts in attitudes and behavior leading to joint political action. What priority do voluntary individual actions to reduce personal and family emissions take until then?

We review earlier versions of the three kinds of phased steps that individuals can take - easy and simple, intermediate (in time and effort) and hard and difficult (involving major lifestyle changes and national legislative actions.) Dozens of existing lists suggest what to do and how to make changes in behavior, purchases, travel and food miles. Phased replacement of appliances, heating/cooling systems, vehicles, and buildings can be undertaken to ease the need for sudden large expenses. Which ones should be emphasized now? What criteria should we employ? The 1960s environmental prescription of "reduce, reuse and recycle" still works, but is it enough? What's better than recycling for slowing global climate change?

If we must speed up our personal life changes, how can renewable energy substitute for our growing use of fossil energy? Can we use "offsets" purchased from others who claim to sequester carbon in forests or soils? We review plans such as Environmental Defense's "Four Percent Solution"(per year) that seek to engage individuals in voluntary joint action to reduce GHGs now.

The carbon dioxide emissions we make today will be around for about 100 years to plague our children and grandchildren even if we manage to flatten out the GHG emissions curve and stabilize it before then. The emerging message from the IPCC and climate experts is that action NOW is better than the same action put off till tomorrow.