Reducing US Emissions Daunting

An article in the New York Times reports,

Electric power companies, which emit about one-third of America’s global warming gases, could reduce their emissions to below the levels of 1990, but that would take about 20 years, no matter how much the utilities spend, according to a new industry study.
The study also calls for cutting the growth in demand for electricity, which the Energy Department expects to increase at 1.5 percent a year. The study assumes growth of just 1.1 percent a year, which implies a steady decline in electricity use for each unit of economic production.
It also calls for vast growth in wind energy and some solar energy. Renewable energy (leaving out hydroelectricity) now comes to only a little over 2 percent of kilowatt-hours generated; by 2030, it would be 6.7 percent.
The biggest slice, though, is from coal plants that would capture their carbon dioxide, compress it and pipe it underground for sequestration. This is a technology that has been barely demonstrated at this point. But in a little over 20 years, it would have to produce 14.6 percent of electricity supplies.
The technologies required do exist, at least at laboratory scale. But the study does not predict costs and stipulate what is economically feasible.
Many of the changes forecast by the utility group depend on prices and on consumer attitudes. For example, it projects that 10 percent of new vehicle sales by 2017 will be plug-in hybrids, which would carry enough batteries to run a car for the first 20 or 30 miles daily; on days when a motorist went farther, the fuel would be gasoline.
There are no commercially available batteries for that task, however, and hybrids sold today constitute a tiny fraction of the market.

IREJN is Connecticut's Interfaith Power and Light. Visit us at www.irejn.org.

Live Earth 07/07/07

Al Gore has announced a 24-hour Live Aid-style event to be held on July 7 and featuring over 100 music stars, including Lenny Kravitz, Sheryl Crow, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Black Eyed Peas, and Snoop Dogg. It will take place at seven different locations simultaneously, including London, Shanghai, Sydney, Johannesburg and locations to be named in Japan, Brazil and the US.

The proceeds will create a foundation to combat climate change led by The Alliance for Climate Protection, currently chaired by Gore.
"In order to solve the climate crisis, we have to reach billions of people," Gore said.
"The climate crisis will only be stopped by an unprecedented and sustained global movement."

IREJN is Connecticut's Interfaith Power and Light. Visit us at www.irejn.org.

Lieberman and McCain Urge Climate Action

In this editorial from the Boston Globe, Connecticut Independent Senator Lieberman and Arizona Republican Senator John McCain urge the US Congress to act quickly and decisively on the problem of climate change:

To confront this challenge, we have reintroduced the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act. The bill, which has growing bipartisan support, would harness the power of the free market and the engine of American innovation to reduce the nation's greenhouse gas emissions substantially enough and quickly enough to forestall catastrophic global warming.

Wall Street analysts and industry executives have predicted the eventual enactment of a bill such as this for some time. Late last month, a group of prominent industrial leaders, including two executives of coal-intensive electric power companies and a major oil company, urged Congress and the president to enact measures that align with the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act. Perhaps the inevitable is now imminent. We must seize the initiative.
How can Congress close the deal to prevent catastrophic global warming while it still has the chance? In the same way it has enacted every other major environmental law in the past 30 years.

IREJN is Connecticut's Interfaith Power and Light. Visit us at www.irejn.org.

Will You Be in Bali?

The island of Bali will host the next major UN climate conference, to be held December 3-14, according to Monsters and Critics.

Thousands of representatives from the world's governments will discuss ways to protect the planet's climate during the December 3-14 gathering at the resort of Nusa Dua.

One of the main tasks will be to set out a framework for climate protection after the Kyoto Protocol on curbing greenhouse gas emissions expires in 2012.

IREJN is Connecticut's Interfaith Light and Power. Visit us at www.irejn.org.

Green Faith: Good News on the Environment

Roger Gottlieb, last year's keynote speaker at our annual Sacred Trust Forum, has a long, thoughtful, and fact-filled commentary about the intersection of faith and the environment on emagazine.com. Here is an excerpt:

For many, the importance of religious environmentalism goes beyond local church members joining the Sierra Club or starting a recycling center. Ecotheologians argue that a religious vision brings something distinct and very valuable to the secular environmental movement. For one thing, when secular environmentalists rail at out-of-control unsus-tainable consumerism they often come off sounding like shrill spoilsports. “Buy less,” may be a good idea, but it is not, in and of itself, all that appealing. Religious leaders can point to the simple (and comparatively non-polluting) pleasures of religious community as alternatives to consumerism. The joys of Sabbath rest, or the emotional comfort of a familiar congregation, provide replacements for the mall and Amazon.com. Of course one need not be religious to appreciate the nurturing aspects of community and rest. Yet these values are perhaps most familiar to us as presented by a culture of religion which, as writer Bill McKibben puts it, offers something other than accumulation as the highest goal of life.

There is also a deep seriousness in religious language, a seriousness which, for many environmentalists, speaks to the depth of the environmental crisis at hand. When we learn, for instance, that the placental blood of newborns contains 287 toxic chemicals, many are not comfortable just saying that this is unhealthy, inconvenient or a damn shame. The violation of what should be a human being’s safest place calls forth a more powerful, more visceral, response. In this context most people find a language of rights inadequate, and one of “consumer preferences” patently absurd. And thus there is something appealing, even to many secular people, when Bartholomew, head of the 300 million strong Eastern Orthodox Church, states flatly that “To pollute the environment is a sin.”

IREJN is Connecticut's Interfaith Power and Light. Visit us at www.irejn.org.

Ten Companies on Notice

Bed Bath and Beyond, you just got served! The Investor Network on Climate Risk, a coalition of unions, public pensions, and faith-based institutional investors, have named ten companies who are not keeping up with their peers in coming up with a plan to combat global climate change. This list of sinners includes usual suspects Exxon Mobil and Wells Fargo, as well as Bed Bath and Beyond. (Say it isn't so!) Read the cnn.com article for the full list and a rundown on their shortcomings. (No mention on where to find climate-friendly pillowcases, though.)

IREJN is Connecticut's Interfaith Power and Light. Visit us at www.irejn.org.

Climate Activists Clever New Tactic

According to an article in SF Gate, Climate activists have come up with a new strategy to force companies to address the issue of Climate Change: Shareholder resolutions asking companies to address global warming in ways such as issuing reports on how it affects their businesses, acting to reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions or preparing for carbon regulations.

IREJN is Connecticut's Interfaith Power and Light.
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Science and Religion: Together Again

Submitted for your consideration: another editorial on science and religion uniting to solve the problem of climate change. This one is co-authored by The Rev. Sally Bingham, founder of Interfaith Power and Light, who will be the featured speaker at our October 16 Sacred Trust Forum in West Hartford, Connecticut. Here is an excerpt:

Science and religion have proved to be capable of independently inspiring social change and reshaping global consciousness. Just imagine what these forces could do together, in a united effort to reverse the damage we have done to our planet.

IREJN is Connecticut's Interfaith Power and Light. Visit us at www.irejn.org.
See our list of links to visit other Interfaith Power and Light sites, including the national IPL site.

Mr.(and Ms.) Eco-Justice Goes to Washington

Christians are invited to make their voices heard on the Hill during Ecumenical Advocacy Days, March 9-12, 2007. The Eco-Justice track will focus on global warming and will include in-depth workshops about what we as Christians and members of churches can do to protect the children of today and the children of the future from the dangers of climate change. Learn more about it through the National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Ministries. Visit AdvocacyDays.org to find out more about the conference and to sign up.

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Not In My Backyard: Wind Turbines Face Resistence

A rural county in Virginia finds resistence to a plan to situate wind turbines there, according to the New York Times. The turbines would provide 39 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power 15,000 homes.

Jerry Rexrode, a county supervisor who voted to approve a conditional use permit for the wind farm in 2005, said most people he had talked to supported the project. David Jessee, manager of an auto parts store, said of the turbines: “I don’t see a thing wrong with them. Economically, the windmills would draw in a little money and maybe bring everyone up around here.”

But Randy Richardson, president of Highlanders for Responsible Development, a group that opposes the project, said people worried about noise pollution from the turbines’ blades and light pollution from the red strobes that would alert aircraft to the 400-foot-tall structures.

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Vegetarians are Doin' It for the Earth

In the Huffington Post, blogger Kathy Freston called Vegetarianism the "New Prius." Here is a taste of what she has to say:

Last month, the United Nations published a report on livestock and the environment with a stunning conclusion: "The livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." It turns out that raising animals for food is a primary cause of land degradation, air pollution, water shortage, water pollution, loss of biodiversity, and not least of all, global warming.

That's right, global warming. You've probably heard the story: emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide are changing our climate, and scientists warn of more extreme weather, coastal flooding, spreading disease, and mass extinctions. It seems that when you step outside and wonder what happened to winter, you might want to think about what you had for dinner last night.


N.B. Except for the occasional fish dish, this blogger has mostly avoided eating flesh since 1980. Check out this link to one of my favorite vegan recipes: chocolate cupcakes. I substitute 1 cup brown sugar for the white sugar.


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Is Linking Climate to Faith the Key?

The key to getting a handle on the overwhelming problem of climate change is to frame it as a moral issue, according to a story in the Tennesean by Ray Waddle.

He quotes a local activist, Joyce Wilding, who says, "If (climate change) doubters who go to houses of worship will recognize this as a moral issue, then we have a chance." Later he quotes her as saying, "I want to hear more sermons on this. Every seminarian ought to be trained to talk 15 minutes on moral issues of environmental degradation and not be afraid."

Read the full article.

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Evangelical Pastor Calls for Creation Care

Joel Hunter, an Evangelical Christian Pastor, calls for Scientists and people of faith to work together to solve the problem of climate change. In an editorial in the Christian Science Monitor he writes,

Every major religion has a moral mandate to take care of the Earth. For those who look to the Bible for instruction, it is the first responsibility given to man: "The Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep [protect] it" (Gen: 2:15, NASB). Our moral obligation, then, does not depend on the rate our planet is warming, or even whether the main cause is human activity. We are to refrain from harming God's creation – period. Few Christians or persons of other faiths (or no faith) would disagree with that statement.

But the latest reports indicate the need to move the care of creation up the priority scale. The great news is that individually we can help as much as we have harmed the physical environment, but we must watch out that we don't poison the environment of relationships in the process.

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Green Enlightenment?

Lynn McDonald, University Professor Emerita at the University of Guelph calls for a "Green Enlightenment on the Worldchanging Canada blog. She writes,

...change of the scope needed will require a major "paradigm shift," for which we will have to re-examine our values, beliefs and expectations for lifestyle. And so far, governments have failed to give leadership. Several provincial and more municipal governments have at least acknowledged the need for concerted action on climate change, short of coming up with concrete plans, which cannot go far enough without federal involvement.

All this will require careful work. Citizens can help start the process by setting out a framework for a climate change plan. The fine tuning can only be done in concert with government departments and technical experts, but citizens can and should lead. Just as the initiative for change in the 18th century Enlightenment came from outside government, so also might this.

Town hall meetings and "think-ins" at universities, colleges and community meetings could help to spark ideas and promote citizen involvement. Professional associations, faith communities, First Nations, unions, all kinds of voluntary organizations, should be asked to draw on their particular experience and expertise. We have a long way to go to, but there is now a growing consensus that fundamental change is needed.
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Campus Activism on Climate Change

According to ZNews, Almost 600 coordinated campus actions -- from photo petitions to winter "beach parties" -- marked the biggest week of climate action yet.

From Jan. 29-Feb. 2, students across the United States and Canada put on polar bear costumes, jumped on their bikes, chalked their campuses, threw beach parties, staged cross campus "energy wars" and packed university auditoriums with students, administrators and community members as part of the largest coordinated climate week of action in North America yet.

The Campus Climate Challenge Week of Action (Jan. 29 to Feb. 2) included over 580 student groups on campuses all over the nation. The week, which was titled "Rising to the Climate Challenge: Visions of Our Future," was the seventh and largest coordinated collective action hosted by the North American Youth Climate Coalition over the past three years.

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Green (Wedding) Day

The Green wedding industry is booming, according to an article in the New York Times.

“People are making purchasing decisions based on environmental concerns,” said Gerald Prolman, the founder of OrganicBouquet.com, an online organic florist. Mr. Prolman, who said his Web site has doubled its sales yearly since it began in 2001, added a wholesale business last August to meet growing demand.

“Whether it’s food or cotton or flowers,” Mr. Prolman said, “people are asking questions: How are farmworkers treated? Who produced the product? How is the environment affected in that process?”

Eric Fenster, an owner of Back to Earth, an organic catering company in Berkeley, said that when he started his business in 2001, his clients consisted almost exclusively of social justice and environmental nonprofit groups. But that market has expanded to make weddings a third of his business.
And few events offer as many opportunities to say “I care” than a wedding, whose average cost is $25,000 to $30,000. Bridal magazines, too, have recognized the trend, and a new online site, Portovert.com, made its appearance last month, catering to “eco-savvy brides and grooms.”
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New Coal Plants Threaten Climate

Fourteen new coal plants are currently being built in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Nevada and are expected to release nearly 70 million tons of carbon dioxide per year, according to an article in AZ Central. These new plants threaten to undermine the political progress the Southwest region has made in benchmarks for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"Our elected leaders have already shown strong leadership on global warming and clean energy issues by adopting greenhouse gas reduction and renewable energy benchmarks. These new plants, which are based on outdated technology, threaten to undo much of their hard work," Jana Milford, a senior scientist formerly with Environmental Defense, said in a statement.

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$25M for Greenhouse Gas-Removing Technology

Billionaire Sir Richard Branson has announced a $25 million prize for the scientist who comes up with a way to extract greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, comparing it to the 17th-century quest to revolutionize navigation by determining longitude,according to Forbes.com.
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Interfaith Climate Change Event Apr. 14

Interfaith/Ecumenical Climate Change Gathering
at Yale Divinity School
New Haven, CT
April 14, 2007 11:00AM to 1:00PM

Event Description:Yale Divinity School invites delegations from religious communities to gather in expression of shared concern about climate change. Assembly at 11am; reception and very brief program following. Optional workshops before and after by experts in congregational organizing and the science of climate change. Delegations are encouraged to bring a banner and other symbols of their community.
For more information on the National April 14 Climate Change event visit www.stepitup07.org.

All events free; RSVP preferred.

Location:Gather in the central Quad of the Dinity School at 409 Prospect St, New Haven. (Rain site, the Great Hall, above the main entrance.)

Directions:From I-95 North or South, take I-91 North towards Hartford. Take Exit 3, Trumbull St. At the end of the ramp go straight on Trumbull Street. At your 5th light, take a right onto Prospect Street. The Divinity School is about one mile on the right, #409.

India Explores Climate Change Options

According to the India Times, India's ministry of earth sciences is putting together a plan to involve scientists from all over India in an effort to address the issue of Climate Change. According to the recent Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change report, India is expected to experience serious effects from Climate Change.

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