Carbon Emission Awareness

I'm not the greenest person on the planet. Far from it. I have lousy habits, like leaving my computer on when I'm not using it. And I'm sure the last thing many of you want from my blog is to get preached at about ways that you can save the planet. Enough information is out there that you all can make decisions on your own about whether you think global warming is a big deal and what you want to do to stop it.

From my perspective, though, the amount of carbon dioxide that humans pump into the atmosphere is a pretty big deal. A few weeks ago on NPR, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin made some remarks that really rankled some top climate change scientists. When asked if he thought global warming was a problem that humanity had to wrestle with, he said:

I have no doubt that global – that a trend of global warming exists. I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with. To assume that it is a problem is to assume that the state of earth’s climate today is the optimal climate, the best climate that we could have or ever have had, and that we need to take steps to make sure that it doesn’t change.

First of all, I don’t think it’s within the power of human beings to assure that the climate does not change, as millions of years of history have shown. And second of all, I guess I would ask which human beings, where and when, are to be accorded the privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have right here today, right now, is the best climate for all other human beings. I’m – I think that’s a rather arrogant position for people to take.

His point, that we may not know if this particular climate is the best possible one, is certainly a valid one. But doesn't it seem like an extremely awful risk to take to assume that it isn't? Human settlements around the globe all depend on the climate being a certain way in order to survive and prosper. I certainly don't want to be the one to tell orange growers in Florida, "I'm sorry, you can't grow oranges anymore because it's too warm. You'll have to find another way to make money. Oh, and by the way, you'll need to build a new house, because the one you currently have won't shield you from the heat well."

It seems to me that that's an arrogant position as well--that just because there are other possibilities out there, we shouldn't work to protect the possibility that we currently have and on which so many people depend to survive.

The other thing that Griffin said that struck me as odd was his claim that it's not within the power of humans to assure that the climate won't change. Sure, there are certainly things that are beyond our control. Planetary movements, changes in the output of the sun, volcanic activities--yes, these are all things I would consider beyond human control. But there are things contributing to climate change that are within human control, like our carbon emissions. And while I agree that we can't completely prevent climate change, we should also work to not actively contribute to it either.

I like the world that we have, and I think a lot of other people do, too. I want my grandkids to be able to enjoy snow in Minnesota in the winter. I want penguins and polar bears to exist outside of zoos. I want people who struggle to make a living along the oceans' coasts to not lose their homes because the water has risen and covered their homes.

And so that's why I've put the carbon emissions counter on my blog. It's easy for me to forget how simple things that I do every day can contribute to an issue that has global impacts. And so I'm working on being more green. I've started hanging the laundry out on lines instead of using the clothes dryer. We've put our TV and stereo on a timer, so that it's not on standby for most of the day, just using power while waiting to be turned on. For our trip to Europe in August, I've started looking at the possibility of offsetting the carbon emissions from our flight through a website like carbonfund.org. It's not a whole lot, but it's a start.

And maybe, someday soon, I'll remember to turn off my computer when I'm not using it.