CCN

Over the past five years under a Republican admininstration/Congress and in a market essentially unregulated for grenhouse gas emissions, much national attention has focused on changing the behaviors of U.S. corporations and politicians. While these efforts are necessary parts of addressing climate change they can take the focus off of all of our individual responsibilities to reduce our climate impacts. According to a 2003 report on CO2 emissions from the Energy Information Administration of the Department of Energy, annual energy use from the residential and transportation sectors have grown by 28% and 19% respectively since 1990.[cite]

Decreasing these emissions would be clearly be easier if we had access to affordable, fuel-efficient vehicles and renewable energy sources for our heat and electricity. In the meantime, there are many steps we can take to recognize and address our own role in global warming now and save $$$ in the process!

No Time to Waste

In Alaska and western Canada, winter temperatures have increased as much as 5-7°F. Over the next 100 years temperatures are projected to rise up to 13°F. Melting permafrost in Alaska and the Arctic is already destroying local ecosystems and communities that are built on and rely on it. One study shows a 5% chance that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) will disintegrate sufficiently because of global warming that sea levels will rise 3-6 feet over the next 200 years.

In January, 2004, a scientific study that appeared in Nature predicted that a third of world's current species will be threatened by the year 2050. My first grandson will probably be in college.

The US Energy Information Agency predicts that between 2001 - 2025 global CO2 emissions will increase by 60%. If this prediction is correct, and current levels are already leading to significant damages, we will be in much worse trouble, for much longer, starting much sooner.

Focusing on issues that hit close to home personally, ski areas are already being warned that maintaining snowpack will be difficult. Near the ski resort of Saint Moritz in Switzerland, a large dam is being built to hold back the anticipated collapse of a cliff due to melting permafrost.

Leadership on climate change is lacking at the federal level in the United States. Progress at the international level is little better. Although the Kyoto Protocol recently went into effect, the Protocol only requires 2.5% reductions of greenhouse gases (GHG) by 2012 for developed countries. China, India, and other important developing countries are outside the regime.

The reductions of 2.5% by developed countries stands in sharp contrast to the 70-95% immediate reductions in GHG most credible scientists believe is necessary to prevent further irreparable harm. It also contrasts with the growing calls to move beyond carbon cuts to carbon negative strategies in order to return to the 280 ppm carbon concentration of pre-industrial times (from today's level of 380ppm) to mitigate and reverse the impacts already set in motion. We need to aggressively reduce emissions beginning today!

The Origin of Climate Neutrality

Around 1999, the Climate Neutral Network was launched out of Lake Oswego, Washington. The Climate Neutral Network is an alliance of companies and other organizations committed to developing products and enterprises that eliminate their impacts on the earth's climate. The Climate Neutral Network developed the concept of "climate neutrality" The group defines Climate Neutral products and services as those "determined to have little or no effect on the Earth's climate." The Network's mission is to support the development of profitable Climate Neutral innovations and partnerships and to create a new marketplace in which caring for our children's future earth is an ever more visible and valuable part of consumer and company purchasing decisions. By 2002, the Climate Neutral Network had certified several businesses and products climate neutral

The Network was advised by environmental experts from the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Rocky Mountain Institute, and the World Resources Institute as well as corporate experts from Ben & Jerry's, Toyota, Nike, and Phillips Electronics.

In 2000, visionary environmental design professor David Orr at Oberlin College in Ohio commissioned a study by the Rocky Mountain Institute to advise the school on ways to get the entire Oberlin campus to go climate neutral by 2020.

Be the Change You Want to See in the World

Based on these concepts, NAELS launched Campus Climate Neutral in 2004 to help students mobilize the university community in support of a national movement to aggressively cut CO2 emissions on our way to becoming climate neutral - or a Zero Emissions Nation (ZEN). The Month/Day of Climate Neutrality this April is intended to set an example and provide the spark for more aggressive efforts to reduce emissions.

The concept of Climate neutrality has several uses in aggressively reducing CO2 emissions:

Sustained Climate Neutrality serves as a long-term socital goal if we hope to meet the 70-95% immediate reductions most credible scientists believe is necessary to prevent further irreparable harm.
Running successful climate neutral events and projects will help immediately reduce emissions while providing funding for other emissions mitigation projects.
Producing climate neutral products will help businesse move towards aggresive emissions reductions.
Desinging and creating climate neutral systems will force problem-solvers to look at the interelated nature of systems and will lead to more efficient systems and processes.

By taking action today, individuals can significantly reduce their own CO2 emissions and save money in the process! They can also urge their institutions to go climate neutral.

.Citizens can also have an effect on climate policy at the federal, state, and city levels.

Bottom Line

The next generation is in an excellent position to lead this push to a sustainable planet but society must follow. Climate change now threatens the base of the economy - both the manmade infrastructure, and the natural ecosystem infrastructure (ecosystem services). This threatens human self-interest, as we need this base to succeed. It is unfair to the youth of today and tomorrow not to develop the moral and technological leadership needed to ensure we protect our infrastructure. Given governmental inaction, students must mobilize professors, parents, and institutions to take the lead. Once they do, business leaders and politicians will have more of an interest to do the same.

We can go climate neutral...

and we must...

starting April 1.

[top of page]


STUDENTS \| ALUMNI \| PROFESSIONALS \| PROJECTS \| RESOURCES		JOIN \| ABOUT \| CONTACT \| SUPPORT

	GOING CLIMATE NEUTRAL *"Campus Communities Taking the Moral and Technological Lead To Fight Global Warming"* PROJECT INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND Current Energy Use = Greenhouse Gas Emissions Climate change is a complex, global process that can be difficult to understand and even harder to think about fixing. While it is important to understand the details of climate change, preventing climate change basically means eliminating or offsetting human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), the largest by far of which is carbon dioxide (CO2) from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas) to keep us warm or cool, keep the lights on, power the cars we drive, and produce the goods and services on which our society relies. As a result, reducing CO2 means all of us - from individuals and groups to corporations to institutions - must use less energy by: Using less electricty and heat in homes, buildings, and manufacturing processes. Driving less in more fuel-efficient cars and other vehicles. Offseting emissions through CO2 reduction projects (planting trees, funding climate projects, etc.) Purchasing offsets or clean energy, either directly where available or through credits or "Gren Tags" Taking Personal Responsibility for Our Future Over the past five years under a Republican admininstration/Congress and in a market essentially unregulated for grenhouse gas emissions, much national attention has focused on changing the behaviors of U.S. corporations and politicians. While these efforts are necessary parts of addressing climate change they can take the focus off of all of our individual responsibilities to reduce our climate impacts. According to a 2003 report on CO2 emissions from the Energy Information Administration of the Department of Energy, annual energy use from the residential and transportation sectors have grown by 28% and 19% respectively since 1990.[cite] Decreasing these emissions would be clearly be easier if we had access to affordable, fuel-efficient vehicles and renewable energy sources for our heat and electricity. In the meantime, there are many steps we can take to recognize and address our own role in global warming now and save $$$ in the process! No Time to Waste In Alaska and western Canada, winter temperatures have increased as much as 5-7°F. Over the next 100 years temperatures are projected to rise up to 13°F. Melting permafrost in Alaska and the Arctic is already destroying local ecosystems and communities that are built on and rely on it. One study shows a 5% chance that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) will disintegrate sufficiently because of global warming that sea levels will rise 3-6 feet over the next 200 years. In January, 2004, a scientific study that appeared in Nature predicted that a third of world's current species will be threatened by the year 2050. My first grandson will probably be in college. The US Energy Information Agency predicts that between 2001 - 2025 global CO2 emissions will increase by 60%. If this prediction is correct, and current levels are already leading to significant damages, we will be in much worse trouble, for much longer, starting much sooner. Focusing on issues that hit close to home personally, ski areas are already being warned that maintaining snowpack will be difficult. Near the ski resort of Saint Moritz in Switzerland, a large dam is being built to hold back the anticipated collapse of a cliff due to melting permafrost. Leadership on climate change is lacking at the federal level in the United States. Progress at the international level is little better. Although the Kyoto Protocol recently went into effect, the Protocol only requires 2.5% reductions of greenhouse gases (GHG) by 2012 for developed countries. China, India, and other important developing countries are outside the regime. The reductions of 2.5% by developed countries stands in sharp contrast to the 70-95% immediate reductions in GHG most credible scientists believe is necessary to prevent further irreparable harm. It also contrasts with the growing calls to move beyond carbon cuts to carbon negative strategies in order to return to the 280 ppm carbon concentration of pre-industrial times (from today's level of 380ppm) to mitigate and reverse the impacts already set in motion. We need to aggressively reduce emissions beginning today! The Origin of Climate Neutrality Around 1999, the Climate Neutral Network was launched out of Lake Oswego, Washington. The Climate Neutral Network is an alliance of companies and other organizations committed to developing products and enterprises that eliminate their impacts on the earth's climate. The Climate Neutral Network developed the concept of "climate neutrality" The group defines Climate Neutral products and services as those "determined to have little or no effect on the Earth's climate." The Network's mission is to support the development of profitable Climate Neutral innovations and partnerships and to create a new marketplace in which caring for our children's future earth is an ever more visible and valuable part of consumer and company purchasing decisions. By 2002, the Climate Neutral Network had certified several businesses and products climate neutral The Network was advised by environmental experts from the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Rocky Mountain Institute, and the World Resources Institute as well as corporate experts from Ben & Jerry's, Toyota, Nike, and Phillips Electronics. In 2000, visionary environmental design professor David Orr at Oberlin College in Ohio commissioned a study by the Rocky Mountain Institute to advise the school on ways to get the entire Oberlin campus to go climate neutral by 2020. Be the Change You Want to See in the World Based on these concepts, NAELS launched Campus Climate Neutral in 2004 to help students mobilize the university community in support of a national movement to aggressively cut CO2 emissions on our way to becoming climate neutral - or a Zero Emissions Nation (ZEN). The Month/Day of Climate Neutrality this April is intended to set an example and provide the spark for more aggressive efforts to reduce emissions. The concept of Climate neutrality has several uses in aggressively reducing CO2 emissions: Sustained Climate Neutrality serves as a long-term socital goal if we hope to meet the 70-95% immediate reductions most credible scientists believe is necessary to prevent further irreparable harm. Running successful climate neutral events and projects will help immediately reduce emissions while providing funding for other emissions mitigation projects. Producing climate neutral products will help businesse move towards aggresive emissions reductions. Desinging and creating climate neutral systems will force problem-solvers to look at the interelated nature of systems and will lead to more efficient systems and processes. By taking action today, individuals can significantly reduce their own CO2 emissions and save money in the process! They can also urge their institutions to go climate neutral. .Citizens can also have an effect on climate policy at the federal, state, and city levels. Bottom Line The next generation is in an excellent position to lead this push to a sustainable planet but society must follow. Climate change now threatens the base of the economy - both the manmade infrastructure, and the natural ecosystem infrastructure (ecosystem services). This threatens human self-interest, as we need this base to succeed. It is unfair to the youth of today and tomorrow not to develop the moral and technological leadership needed to ensure we protect our infrastructure. Given governmental inaction, students must mobilize professors, parents, and institutions to take the lead. Once they do, business leaders and politicians will have more of an interest to do the same. We can go climate neutral... and we must... starting April 1. [top of page]
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