With the first substantial snow fall in the Boston area, winter has finally arrived. And while the snow fall may stick around for some time to come, a month ago, the unseasonably balmy weather may have finally pushed many doubters of global warming toward Al Gore's side. With last night's State of the Union address and recent developments on environmental policy, green issues have finally gone into the mainstream. Even Al Gore's movie "An Inconvenient Truth" was nominated for two Academy Awards. With the issue now firmly on the front burner, now is the time to take action to prevent unnecessary damage to the environment.
The most striking recent development in the climate change debate is just how one-sided the discussion has become. In a recent Wall Street Journal report, long time skeptics like energy giant Exxon Mobil Corp. have finally admitted fossil fuels' role in hastening climate change.
The United Nations is preparing to go even further in their dire assessments of what unchecked climate change will do to the earth. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projects potential ecological catastrophe if warming trends continue into the year 2100.
With the U.N., most world nations and a leading energy company converging on humanity's role in climate change, the Bush administration has taken the first steps to admit that a problem exists and that man must do something to stop it. With the State of the Union address, the U.S. government is finally taking the first comprehensive steps against global warming. Fortunately, Tufts and local communities have not waited for the federal government to act.
The construction of eco-friendly Sophia Gordon Hall, the university's work to adhere to the Kyoto Protocol and the continuing efforts of the Tufts Climate Initiative demonstrate a commitment to minimizing ecological impact and securing a sustainable environment. This type of effort is necessary to ward off the potential dangers of inaction.
Specifically, President Bush's plan to reduce energy consumption, increase alternative fuels and fuel economy are a good first step.
But the potential for other advances should give the most environmentally conscious some hope. Both General Motors and Ford are rapidly developing new hybrid and electric car technologies that could surpass industry leaders Honda and Toyota. Other large companies like General Electric, Alcoa, BP America, DuPont, Caterpillar and others are pushing for a mandatory cap on emissions to cut them by more than half by 2050. If government, private companies and average people team up to tackle the climate change challenge, the results could be strikingly effective.
Beyond all the promises and rhetoric, the world seems to be entering a green era that will last beyond politicians' fickle attention spans. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified green buildings are becoming more accepted as the standard way to build for the future. Even London's 2012 Olympic Games will have low environmental impact, utilizing renewable energy. In people's daily lives, locally grown food (which requires less transportation energy use) and increased efficiency light bulbs are drastically changing energy consumption patterns. Hybrid cars can be found in more showrooms and garages across America.
Basic changes in everyday individual energy use are the foundation to altering environmental policy. Government and corporate action on environmental and energy issues merely affirms and enhances what many are already doing. This cooperative spirit is necessary, and should serve as a model for addressing other trying issues. It could not come a moment too soon.
