Living Green is More Critical than Ever
Latest Climate Science Calls for Serious Action
Mar 12, 2009
The global summit on climate change that wrapped up this week in Copenhagen ended with some conclusions about the state of the world that go beyond sobering to downright frightening.
Among the findings released after the "Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges & Decisions" congress:
- Climate change is already growing worse than previously predicted, and those trends are accelerating;
- As those trends worse, the risks of social upheaval will grow to the point it might be difficult to manage;
- Failure to act quickly and effectively now will make it even harder to meet future climate challenges;
- The effects of climate change are making the world's already-huge social inequalities even worse;
- There's no excuse for inaction, as we have a wide variety of actions we can take to start improving things now; and
- The many challenges posed by climate change will require the help of individuals, businesses and governments alike.
As individuals, there's a lot each of us can already do to make a personal contribution toward the climate change battle. We can start consuming less and conserving more, doing all the things green experts have been recommending for years: switching to compact fluorescent light-bulbs and energy-efficient appliances, setting the thermostat low in winter and high in summer, walking or biking more and driving less, growing our own fruits and vegetables in our backyards and on our balconies and windowsills, putting up an outdoor clothesline and switching off the laundry room dryer.
But the news from Copenhagen makes it clear all that is not enough. Worse, there's a disturbing trend that, as the warnings from climate scientists grow ever more dire, the denial or apathy from much of the public is becoming ever greater. A new Gallup poll, for instance, finds that 41 percent of US residents surveyed believe the seriousness of climate change is exaggerated.
Clearly, the science says otherwise.
To overcome that type of resistance from the public (and many elected officials are equally guilty), we'll have to do more than change the light-bulbs in our homes. Mobilizing a global effort against climate change means changing views and opinions, too.
Each of us can help in that regard: By writing letters to the editor summarizing the latest climate news and the need to act. By talking to friends, relatives and co-workers and working to persuade them of the urgency of the problem. By lending support -- time or money -- to organizations working to start taking action now.
As the 2,500 climate delegates from nearly 80 countries concluded in Copenhagen this week, "Inaction is inexcusable."
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