Web Site for the Official Student Newspaper of Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minnesota Global warming gets government attention By Hanna Raskovic It is too late to reverse global warming, but there is still hope to significantly reduce its effects, Paul Douglas, Chief Meteorologist at WCCO-TV, told an audience at NCC. Douglas and J. Drake Hamilton, Science Policy Director for Fresh Energy, were on campus Feb. 22 to discuss global warming solutions. The presentation began with introductory remarks by Dr. Joseph McCulloch, Department of Biology at NCC. Dr. McCulloch gave an overview on the problem and emphasized the importance of raising awareness and getting prepared to help slow global warming. Global warming is a long-term climate change happening all over the earth, Douglas explained. Scientists first raised alarm in 1980, when they created an international society to study climate changes and discovered that the slow motion transformation is accelerating. Independent research of ground base and proxy rings on trees was compared to the test results of the latest observations and it was found that the rate of warming is 5 times greater than before. Of particular concern are the increased winter temperatures, both locally and globally. The snow levels in winterhave dropped by 10 percent. Spring comes 1-2 weeks earlier and autumn stays about 10% longer. The amplitude of temperature changes has become steeper. The overall temperature in Alaska has increased by 5 degrees Fahrenheit. The Alps and Himalayas Mountains don’t get nearly as much snow as before, Douglas remarked. Douglas explained that warmer temperatures will cause more evaporation, so it will be hot, dry and windy. There will be more lightning, tornados and wildfire. Asthma symptoms will get worse and there will be more malaria and west Nile diseases. El Nino of 1998 and the heat storm of Europe in 2003 are results of global warming. Hurricanes have hit the coasts of Brazil and Spain for the first time in history. On February 2, 2007, the scientific community released a report on climate changes. Prepared by 1,500 climatologists from over 100 countries, these scientists agree that global warming is real and is coming in an unnaturally fast way. The projection is that, if nothing is done, the temperatures worldwide will raise 3.5 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100. There is a 1 in 10 chance that the increase in temperature will be even greater. The sea level has already increased 6-9 inches and there is a possibility it will continue to rise, Douglas reported. The biggest culprit is the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, created by burning coal for electricity formation. Carbon dioxide traps solar heat and produces the green house effect. 20-23 percentof all carbon dioxide is being produced by the United States, while China and Europe create 14 percent each. In second place are gases produced by oil consuming vehicles. Douglas advised skeptics to look at the scientific evidence, not at the surrounding politics. He accentuated that all peer reviewed publications report warming of this power cannot be explained by natural causes. These reports state that global warming is 75-90 percent man-made. Paul Douglas observed that by reducing the use of coal and using oil to fuel engines, the economy doesn’t have to suffer. On the contrary, Douglas states that the development of technologies of renewing and storing energy will create new companies. He projected that the most robust economies in the future will be the most ecologically friendly. Hamilton quoted Dr. James Hansen, NASA, emphasizing that “we need 80% reduction of global warming emissions by 2050 or the planet will not be recognizable in 50 years.” NASA also reports that the significant reduction of emissions has to happen within next 10 years and the investments in renewable energy and efficiency of energy consumption have to be doubled. In response to growing concerns, governor Tim Pawlenty recently signed a bill, the Climate Protection Agreement, requiring companies to provide 25% of power from renewable sources by 2025. Mayors from 14 Minnesota cities have signed the Climate Protection Agreement and created budgets for clean energy investments. Also, Minnesota has recently incorporated 3000 wind turbines into energy production. Hamilton explained that there are a lot of things citizens can do to help protect the earth. He recommends everyone should try to use less energy by turning off lights and computers when not in use and buying energy efficient appliances with the Energy Star logo. Also, better insulating homes so that less energy is needed, driving less, using energy efficient vehicles, buying local foods because less gas is used for its transportation and recycling are steps in the right direction. Hamilton advised citizens to voice concerns and engage in discussions on global warming problems to come up with more creative ideas and solutions. Fresh Energy, www.fresh-energy.org, contains a lot of helpful links and is receiving over 2 million inquiries monthly. There are many local, non-for-profit organizations, such as Vision for Better Bloomington, which organizes events to educate the community. Vision for Better Bloomington is also collecting signatures to convince the Bloomington mayor to sign the Climate Protection Agreement. Hamilton encouraged citizens to write to the state legislature. According to him, it is most essential to do it now, because this spring several environmental bills have to be adopted by Minnesota government.