A "Common Sense" Approach to the Climate Problem

A “Common Sense” Approach to the Climate Problem

Two hundred and thirty-four years ago, Americans faced a struggle that would transform their world. Thomas Paine wrote on the subject of American independence in his 1776 pamphlet, Common Sense:

The sun never shined on a cause of greater worth. ‘Tis not the affair of a city, a country, a province, or a kingdom, but of a continent—of at least one eighth part of the habitable globe. ‘Tis not the concern of a day, a year, or an age; posterity are virtually involved in the contest, and will be more or less affected, even to the end of time, by the proceedings now. Now is the seed time of continental union, faith and honor. The least fracture now will be like a name engraved with the point of a pin on the tender rind of a young oak; the wound will enlarge with the tree, and posterity read it in full grown characters.[i]

Today, we face a new crisis—one that threatens our well-being, our economy, our nation, our planet and one that will affect virtually every organism that calls it home. In spite of an intense series of winter storms in the United States this winter, 2009 was the hottest year on record in the southern hemisphere, while 2010 promises to be the hottest year in recorded history according to the UK Met Office’s Decadal Prediction System climate model.[ii] The latest data from the Mauna Loa CO₂ measuring station suggest that average atmospheric CO₂ levels are between 388 and 389 parts-per-million[iii]—the highest values in at least 10 million years. The last time CO₂ concentrations were this high, temperatures were approximately 3˚ to 6˚C warmer and sea level was 25 to 40 meters higher than present. “There was little glacial ice on land or sea ice in the Arctic,” writes UCLA geochemist Aradhna Tripati, “and a marine-based ice mass on Antarctica was not viable.”[iv]

While American independence and global warming might seem like very different issues at first glance, much of what Paine discusses above rings even truer for climate change than it did for the American Revolution. Climate change is not an issue that will affect just one city, one country, one province, or even an entire continent—it is a phenomenon that will have drastic effects across the entire globe. It is not a short-term occurrence, though it has short-term effects. Instead, it is an issue that will affect us and our descendants for centuries, if not millennia, in its ability to affect and disrupt the natural systems we depend upon. Species that go extinct now are gone for good. As extinction rates increase due to both development and climate change, whole ecosystems will be weakened and many will undoubtedly collapse.

Lastly, and most importantly, we need to recognize that “now is our seed time;” our actions today and in the coming years will be enlarged just as was Paine’s “name engraved . . . on the tender rind of a young oak.” Carbon we put in the atmosphere today will stay there for decades. Our habits, multiplied over our lifetimes, will end up having a huge impact. On the other hand, the changes we make in our habits to reduce consumption now will have similarly huge positive impacts. Our actions today, no matter how small, will directly impact the world of tomorrow.

With the impact of the economic recession from fall of 2008 and in the wake of the so-called Climategate scandal last November, in which emails and files from the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit were hacked and released on the internet, belief in climate change in the United States has plummeted. A Gallup poll based on phone interviews with a random sample of 1,014 U.S. citizens aged 18 or older and published this March 11^th revealed that 48% of Americans now believe that the seriousness of global warming is generally exaggerated, and that some 46% believe that scientists are unsure about global warming or that it is not occurring.[v]

In other parts of the world, however, climate change has already begun to have dramatic consequences, underscoring the need for action: increased rates of sea level rise led to the submersion of Bangladeshi island Lohachara in 1996, forcing its 6000 inhabitants to move to the mainland, while New Moore Island in the Sunderbans has just been completely submerged.[vi] If sea levels rise one meter by 2050 as projected by some climate models, up to 20 million people in Bangladesh alone will be displaced.

Climate change is an issue that demands us to take responsibility for our individual actions. If we decide to consume something, we should at least consider the effects that that consumption will have on the world. We are beholden to a way of life that is based upon plastic, gas pumps, pollution and sprawl—all symptoms of excessive and poorly planned consumption. Just as our forefathers reflected upon, debated, and stood up to fight for what they believed would be a better world by creating one of the world’s first true republics, we need to stand up for what we believe in—determine what material and non-material things we want, and eschew those that are unnecessary. We need to work towards a future in which one generation’s consumption does not destroy the well-being of those to come.

Do we want to live in a world without polar bears, without coral reefs, with increasing food insecurity and with an ever-rising number of climate refugees? Or do we want to live in a world with less pollution and more environmental justice, healthier people, cleaner water and air, preserved biodiversity and a more prosperous and independent American economy? Even just the auxiliary health benefits associated with the cleaner air and water that will result from using less carbon-intensive technologies represent a substantial economic boon to the American economy—reduced numbers of sick days can be expected to result in a significant boost in productivity.

The nature of today’s crisis calls for us to revolutionize those institutions with which we are familiar. We need to recognize that each and every one of us has a responsibility for doing just that. As Paine writes, “Those who expect to reap the blessings of Freedom must undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”[vii] If you want to live in a more peaceful, stable, temperate world in which island nations survive and biodiversity is preserved, then you yourself need to become part of the solution.

And doing so need not rely on the technologies of the future. As Princeton professors Stephen Pacala and Robert Socolow cite in their paper “Stabilization Wedges: Solving the Climate Problem for the Next 50 Years with Current Technologies,” “Humanity already possesses the fundamental scientific, technical and industrial know-how to solve the carbon and climate problem for the next half-century,” based on a wide variety of mitigation “wedges” including wind power, solar power, efficient vehicles and buildings, reduced deforestation and conservation tillage.[viii]

Similarly, individuals need not rely on actions taken by our government. In fact, ambitious governmental programs rely on our support and the actions that we endeavor to take ourselves. Each of us has the ability to vote for local, regional and national leaders, and to support political programs that include action on climate change and other environmental issues.

And we ourselves are incredibly powerful. Over our lifetimes, most of us will eat, drink, drive cars, fly in planes, ride trains, bicycle, buy clothes, take jobs, go on vacations, find places to live, donate to charities or political organizations, get involved with different groups, recreate and commute. I will admit that I have not always made such decisions specifically with their associated environmental and social impacts in mind. But it is naïve to think that the sum total of all our actions do not have a significant effect—in actuality, change only takes place through the combination of many individuals’ actions. Whether you decide to consume less or smarter, offset your emissions or even donate to charities like plantabillion.org or eandco.net, you can make a difference—starting right here at Pomona College.

We need to help create an economy based not on the shedding of negative externalities onto the public or disadvantaged minorities, but one dedicated to the prosperity of everyone. The creation of that economy starts with us, and our own personal economy: what we buy, create and use, and the manner in which we dispose of our waste.

A coalition must be built both nationally and internationally for this revolution to be inspired and successful. But the first step begins with us. What Paine wrote in 1776—“we have it in our power to begin the world over again . . . the birthday of a new world is at hand”—still rings true today. [ix]

If there is not a large number of individual citizens clamoring for action towards forging a better world for themselves, their children and grandchildren, there will be no impetus for moving towards a green economy and a solution to the problem of climate change. As Paine writes in his American Crisis:

These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman . . . The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.[x]

If we work now towards building a world worth living in, we will live to see the fruits of our efforts and the inauguration of a better world. And the more we take this as our responsibility and the harder we try to build that world, the greater our satisfaction will be with the lives we have created for ourselves and others.

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[i] Paine, Thomas. Paine: Collected Writings. Edited by Eric Foner. New York, N.Y.: Literary Classics of the United States, Inc., 1995. Pg. 21

[ii]http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/corporate/pressoffice/2009/pr20091210b.html

[iii] http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/#mlo

[iv] Tripati, AK; Roberts, CD; Eagle, RA. 2009. Coupling of CO2 and Ice Sheet Stability over Major Climate Transitions of the Last 20 Million Years. Science: 2009 Oct 8.

[v] http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/mar/11/americans-climate-change-threat; http://www.gallup.com/poll/126560/Americans-Global-Warming-Concerns-Continue-Drop.aspx?version

[vi] http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100324/ap_on_sc/as_india_disappearing_island

[vii] Paine, Thomas. Paine: Collected Writings. Edited by Eric Foner. New York, N.Y.: Literary Classics of the United States, Inc., 1995. Pg. 147

[viii] Stabilization Wedges - http://carbonsequestration.us/Papers-presentations/htm/Pacala-Socolow-ScienceMag-Aug2004.pdf

[ix] Paine, Thomas. Paine: Collected Writings. Edited by Eric Foner. New York, N.Y.: Literary Classics of the United States, Inc., 1995. Pg. 52

[x] Paine, Thomas. Paine: Collected Writings. Edited by Eric Foner. New York, N.Y.: Literary Classics of the United States, Inc., 1995. Pg. 21

Re-Designing and Re-Imagining a Sustainable Pomona College for the 21st Century

Re-Designing and Re-Imagining a Sustainable Pomona College for the 21^st Century

Today, humans are playing a game of Russian roulette with the planet’s climate, as anthropogenic emissions threaten to push CO2 levels higher than they were even 20 million years ago. Though CO2 levels were once far higher than they are today, the ecosystems that support humans have either evolved in or adapted to present conditions. While our species has proven to be adaptable (at least in the short term) through the use of technology, the roughly seven billion people living on the Earth today depend on natural systems far more than we can fully grasp or understand. Current projections predict that the global population will reach nine billion before 2050. As climate change intensifies, it will put more and more stress on the ecosystems upon which this growing population depends. It is clear that human societies will be forced to confront harsh realities in the 21st century as “cheap” energy and abundant resources become scarcer.

For the past 800,000 years, up until around 1750, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have oscillated between 180 and 280 parts-per-million by volume.[i] Since the start of the Industrial Revolution, CO2 levels have risen exponentially, to the current level of 387 ppm— conditions last experienced as far back as 15 to 20 million years ago. During this period, average temperatures were between 5.4 and 10.8 °F warmer, sea levels were 75 to 120 feet higher, there was no permanent sea ice cap in the Arctic, and neither Greenland nor Antarctica had significant amounts of ice. The episodes of cooling and glacial expansion that took place at the end of that time period correspond to the dramatic lowering of CO2 levels to those characterizing the Earth’s atmosphere until recently.

But what exactly are the effects of climate change, according to scientists who study the phenomenon? A recent MIT study projects, based on its Integrated Global System Model and business-as-usual scenarios, that there is a 90% chance that CO2 levels will reach between 495 and 574 parts-per-million by 2045, and between 716 and 1095 parts-per-million by 2095. This corresponds to a predicted increase in average surface air temperatures of between 2.5 and 4.3 °F by 2045 and between 6.3 and 13.3 °F by 2095.[ii] These findings suggest that the icecaps will melt, global sea levels will rise dramatically, weather patterns and local climates will become more extreme, and even locust swarms will intensify, increasing famine in vulnerable areas at a rate much faster than was previously expected. Countries like the Maldives, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean that is on average 1.5 meters above sea level, will be particularly vulnerable to increases in both global sea levels and the frequency of extreme weather events like tsunamis.

Many individuals have made the connection between man-made emissions and climate change, and have been motivated by the threat of disastrous consequences to do something about it. Currently, a vast array of individuals, groups and organizations across the world are doing their best to fight deforestation, increase energy efficiency, and replace carbon-intensive energy sources with renewable ones like solar and wind, all in order to mitigate the effects of global warming. This December, delegates from a majority of the world’s nations will meet in Copenhagen in order to draft a new international climate protocol to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. The original protocol was ratified in 1997 by 184 countries, with the notable exception of the United States.

Though progress is being made in boardrooms and legislatures across the world, and the Obama Administration seems to be taking a more proactive role on climate change, the political process is slow and easily bogged down by special interests. Climate change, on the other hand, demands immediate action if humanity is to avoid catastrophe.

In this context, what are our responsibilities as students, and what should the responsibilities of an educational institution like Pomona College be? How can we best reduce our contributions to global warming and other environmental issues?

Starting to cut down on one’s own individual carbon footprint is, in fact, quite simple, and is not a matter of personal deprivation. Turning off the faucet while brushing one’s teeth, using natural light by opening window-shades instead of using electric lighting while there’s still daylight, doing work in already-lit areas and unplugging appliances when you aren’t around are all easy ways to use less energy. In general, examining one’s daily routines and consumption habits is a good method of finding ways to consume less while getting the same utility. For example, carrying a ceramic mug or jar during the day and to snack for coffee, alcohol and other drinks can easily cut down on a huge amount of paper and plastic waste, while providing an arguably more enjoyable drinking experience.

There is, however, only so much that can be done on an individual level. The next question that the students, faculty and staff at Pomona College must ask is: what is the proper course of action for our community to take in light of the present situation?

Over the past couple of years, Pomona has indeed raised awareness of environmental issues on campus and taken several steps, both tangible and intangible, towards becoming more sustainable. On April 20th, 2007, President Oxtoby signed the President’s Climate Commitment, which commits Pomona College to becoming carbon neutral at a self-imposed target date. In July 2008, Pomona hired Bowen Close, our current Sustainability Coordinator and director of what became in May 2009 the Sustainability Integration Office. And between November 2008 and May 2009, the Sustainability Action Fellowship, a group organized by Close but composed of students, drafted a Sustainability Action Plan for the College that will be brought to the attention of Pomona’s trustees for review this coming May.

All across the United States, other colleges and universities are undertaking similar measures, but many of these efforts have been surface-level changes or quick fixes. Building to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, for example, has led colleges and their architects to aim for high marks according to an imperfect grading system, a strategy that doesn’t necessarily result in the greenest buildings possible. Light retrofits, “energy-reduction months” and other efficiency methods are important first steps—analogous to “picking the low-lying fruit”—but they do not inherently change the infrastructure of these institutions in a substantive way.

In Natural Capitalism, Paul Hawken and Amory and Hunter Lovins describe this phenomenon, pointing out that institutions (including corporations and universities) tend to make each aspect of their buildings efficient only until they hit a cost barrier at which their investments are no longer paying off. While this is valuable, the three writers suggest that instead, if buildings as a whole are designed to be as efficient as possible, their builders can “tunnel through the cost-barrier” for each individual element of the building by thinking holistically—making a less energy and carbon-intensive building while saving money.

Similarly, Daniel Esty and Andrew Winston argue in their book Green to Gold that the threefold mantra of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” should be expanded to include two even more important concepts: “redesigning” and “reimagining” products and processes. They argue that these are actually the two most important concepts and should be weighted accordingly. Instead of reacting to what is already in place, these two concepts require and recommend that firms and institutions be more proactive on a larger scale, leading to more comprehensive solutions that render systems more sustainable and efficient and in the process increase profits by reducing waste and energy usage.

Perhaps the most ambitious example of this way of thinking can be found in the plans of Middlebury and Carleton Colleges to produce all (or a majority, supplemented with carbon offsets) of their electricity on campus by 2016 and 2020, respectively. Instead of just trying to reduce electricity use, both schools reimagined themselves as energy producers: Carleton by building a 1.65 megawatt wind turbine that produces 40% of its power and should reduce the college’s carbon emissions by ~1.5 million tons over the next 20 years, and Middlebury by building a biomass plant that runs on wood-chips.

Oberlin College’s construction of its Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies similarly demonstrates a refusal to merely mimic what has already been done. Instead of simply following LEED building codes, Oberlin redesigned what a building could be, with the help of green architect William McDonough. In the words of David Orr, the director of Oberlin’s Environmental Studies Program, the new center was intended to be a building that “gives more than it takes,” and that would help to “redefine the relationship between humankind and the environment.”[iii]

Oxtoby’s signing of the President’s Climate Commitment, the hiring of a Sustainability Coordinator and the College’s formation of a Sustainability Integration Office all mean that, in the short term, Pomona is demonstrably moving forward with sustainability. These early steps should be duly lauded. But if Pomona College hopes to become a truly sustainable institution, we will need to reimagine and redesign the college for the 21st century. To do this, it will be necessary as well to redefine what Pomona is by seeking ways to preserve what makes our community great while at the same time reducing our environmental impact. For just as the use of a ceramic mug can deliver a better experience and reduce one’s personal waste stream, making Pomona College more sustainable has the potential to not only reduce our negative impact on the world but also to render the educational experience it provides more useful and worthwhile.

The goal of this essay has not been to exhort the reader to drop everything and embark upon an environmental odyssey, but simply to clarify the far-reaching effects of our consumption habits and attitudes on the environment and other people, and moreover, to suggest that another path is open to our generation. It is up to us as students to act as responsible global citizens by getting involved however we can, whether it be by taking shorter showers, suggesting ideas to the Sustainability Integration Office, joining PEAR (Pomona for Environmental Action and Responsibility) at one of its weekly meetings at 8:30 PM every Tuesday in SOCA lounge, taking classes with an environmental focus, taking the sustainability pledge (http://pomonasustainabilitypledge.com/), or finding other ways to make our voices heard.

Most importantly, we need to remember that reimagining and redesigning are just as critical as reducing, reusing and recycling, if not more so. It is only by addressing these two essential and often overlooked elements that Pomona can hope to become “sustainable” in any substantial way.

[i] Tripati, AK; Roberts, CD; Eagle, RA. 2009. Coupling of CO2 and Ice Sheet Stability over Major Climate Transitions of the Last 20 Million Years. Science: 2009 Oct 8.

[ii] Sokolov et al. 2009. Probabilistic Forecast for 21st Century Climate Based on Uncertainties in Emissions (without Policy) and Climate Parameters. Report Series of the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change: January 2009.

[iii] http://www.oberlin.edu/ajlc/design_1.html