Keys must face some inconvenient truths
"An Inconvenient
Truth," the movie narrated by former Vice-President Al Gore, has just
closed at the Tropic Cinema after a month's run. Its message is
powerful: The earth is warming at an alarming rate caused by carbon
dioxide added to the atmosphere mostly by burning fossil fuels such as
coal and oil.
The most immediate
impact is extreme weather all over the globe — storms are more frequent
and more powerful, summers are hotter, deserts are larger, floods are
more damaging. The ice caps over Greenland and Antarctica are melting,
causing the ocean level to rise. If this continues, Key West could wind
up 20 feet under water — a phenomenon more likely to be witnessed by our
children or grandchildren, so don't sell your house just yet.
There is almost no
debate in the scientific community anywhere that the above is true. More
than 700 articles written in scientific journals across the world
between 1993 and 2005 all conclude that global warming is real and is
caused by human activity.
The Florida Keys are
in the front line of jeopardy, as low-lying islands in a busy hurricane
zone with an ailing coral reef. We already have felt the terrifying
results of extreme weather. We suffered from the effects of four
hurricanes last year (without getting a direct hit from any) and one of
the foundations of our economy, the coral reef, is suffering from the
effects of pollution and warmer water.
Why isn't the top
national priority to stop global warming? Shamefully, the United States
is the biggest contributor of carbon dioxide to the air and one of only
two developed countries that have not signed on to the international
Kyoto Accord that would reduce greenhouse gases by the year 2012. The
accord has been signed by 55 developed nations responsible for 55
percent of the global emissions.
The minds of our
national policy-makers have been muddled by those who make money in the
coal and oil industries. Many of our top officials, including President
Bush, have close ties with the coal and oil industries.
Our island and our
earth are at risk. We must act locally.
Key West is, along
with over 240 other cities, a signatory to the U.S. Mayors Climate
Protection Agreement pledging to be part of the local solution.
Here is a sample of
actions taken by local and state governments in the United States. San
Francisco, Calif., has placed solar panels on its convention center
which generate enough electricity for 675 houses and requires all new
municipal buildings to meet U.S. Green Building Council standards. Hull,
Mass., Municipal Light Plant is building off-shore windmills and plans
to have 100 percent renewably generated power by 2010. New York City is
requiring hybrid cars be added to its taxi fleet.
Chicago's Mayor Daley
has planted more than 500,000 trees, ordered that all new municipal
buildings meet U.S. Green Building Council standards, built an
energy-conserving, heat-reducing green roof on City Hall and has faster
building permitting time for green-building applicants. School districts
across the nation are using cleaner fuel for school buses. California
has set stringent automobile emission rules which have been adopted by
10 other states. The University of Pennsylvania is switching to
wind-generated electricity. Portland, Ore., encourages Car Free weeks
when people use transportation other than automobiles and avoided 37,630
automobile trips in 2005.
Here are actions
people in the Keys can take to help reduce global warming. Sign up with
Keys Energy for green energy, which will stimulate the market for
renewable energy sources. Drive a hybrid car that generates its own
electricity. Take the bus, ride a bicycle, walk. Use energy-efficient
light bulbs. Use a solar clothes dryer (clothesline). Install solar
panels, generate your own electricity, and sell your surplus to Keys
Energy — or the Florida Keys Electric Co-op north of the Seven-Mile
Bridge. Install more insulation, use less air conditioning. Use an
instant water heater rather than keeping gallons of water hot all the
time. Unplug TVs and other appliances that are internally "on" all the
time for instant start-up.
These actions will not
only help reduce global warming, but will reduce electricity bills,
reduce the need for imported oil and add to national security.
And if you missed "An
Inconvenient Truth" on big screen, catch it on DVD.
— The Citizen |
