Greenhouse gases are changing our planet

How big a threat are greenhouse gases to our planet's future? We in the USA still seem to be denying our overall responsibility to lessen global warming.

By Rob Arner

Last week over 180 countries convened a two-week conference in The Hague, Netherlands that ended in a stalemate. This three-year effort to develop an international treaty on global warming failed because the European nations and the U.S. deadlocked on any agreement. It collapsed because some European countries rejected a compromise allowing the U.S. to escape its responsibilities. This happened because the U.S. wishes to obtain emission credits from such countries as Russia and Ukraine and claim carbon sinks that absorb carbon dioxide such as forest and farmlands that would offset some emissions. The U.S. outraged other European countries for its insistence on loopholes such as land-use practices that do not represent any real reductions.¹

U.S. forest fires this summer alone have released 40 million tons of carbon into the world's atmosphere. According to recent polls 80% of Americans support U.S. actions to reduce global warming. The U.S. constitutes 5% of the world's population, yet it produces 22% of climate-altering CO₂.²

Temperatures are rising
Most scientists agree that carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane, and other greenhouse gases are altering our climate. Major ecological, economic and social consequences may result in such things as increased storms, flooding, droughts and decreased food production. Some think the science is uncertain and we should conduct more research. Yet the 1990s was the warmest decade ever recorded and this century was the warmest in the last 1,000 years. Predictions are that the temperature will increase by 2–8° unless we reduce our gas emissions in the next hundred years. Finally, there are overwhelming scientific indicators that human activity is increasing the earth's temperature.

A recent World Wildlife Foundation report found that up to 30% of the world's landscape could be fundamentally altered by climate change. Following the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, last week's meeting in The Hague was another effort to commit to environmental integrity to reduce global warming emissions by 5% below 1990 levels by the year 2010. Despite the Kyoto agreement emissions levels in many countries including the United States have continued to rise.

Emissions can be reduced
A recent Department of Energy study reveals Americans can reduce global warming by three-quarters by taking steps such as establishing strict energy and fuel-efficient standards.³ As the world's leading polluter, the U.S. is reluctant to antagonize business since such conservation measures are feared to dampen the present economic boom.

The International Project for Sustainable Energy Projects says that over the next 30 to 50 years, industrialized countries could reduce carbon emissions by more than 50% using existing technology. Critical in meeting this reduction is investing in more efficient energy use. Just one office building with 7,000 occupants recycling its paper, plastic and corrugated boxes can reduce greenhouse gas emissions of 1,200 metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE).

Since over 50% of the cost of waste management is collecting and transporting refuse, any manner of reduction in this sector is significant. Truck emissions can seriously impact air quality especially diesel fumes. The Union of Concerned Scientists recently stated that trucks account for under 6% of the miles driven by highway vehicles, while one-quarter of the smog-producing pollution comes from this source. Trucks could be retrofit diesel with pollution reducing devices or low sulfur fuels. Utilizing alternative fuels such as bio-based or natural gas is a viable alternative for many fleets.

Landfills contribute significantly
Landfills are one significant source of methane loss. Presently EPA have exempted small and medium landfills from methane recovery. Landfill gases have been documented to be a major source of greenhouse gas.

Perhaps the most significant byproduct diversion is the virtual elimination of landfill gas, a gas that is thirty times the atmospheric warming equivalent of CO₂.⁴

Landfills also present an opportunity to capture lost methane and use it as a resource while lessening damage cause by its emission.

We are all responsible for emissions
Alternative energy-efficient and renewable technologies are the obvious answer. Not only industry, but also each individual, is responsible for greenhouse gas emissions. The City of Berkeley, California cited⁵ that the average household annually emits 21,140 pounds of CO₂:

• private autos 28%;
• homes 29%;
• transit 3%;
• industry 9%; and
• other business 31%.

Americans consume 40% of the world's gasoline. Each car burns 20 pounds of CO₂ per gallon, and short trips create more pollution than longer ones. Electric appliances contribute significantly—water heaters emit 4,000 pounds of CO₂ each year, and refrigerators contribute 1,000 pounds of CO₂ per year.

But what can I do?
There are many ways we can lessen global warming. We each can exercise diverse energy conservation methods from turning off lights to riding our bicycles. From conserving water by replacing our showerheads to low-flow, to insulating your house, replacing furnace filters, using fluorescent lighting and buying more efficient appliances and materials, each of us can make a difference. Avoid disposable products when you can. Buy recycled products, compost at home—all these efforts can reduce gas emissions.

Another way to reduce trash is by establishing "pay as you throw" volume or variable rate residential trash programs. Thousands of communities have reduced their disposal tonnage and increased recycling by this self-managed system.

Pay as you throw programs educate citizens that waste not only costs money but contributes to global warming. These programs may have a downside depending on where they are implemented since such efforts can impact revenue for waste facilities and increase administrative costs.

Program design is crucial
If we are going to reduce global warming we have to improve program design of our waste systems. "Pay as you throw" cannot follow one cookie-cutter design. It can include such various mechanisms as pre-paid bags, stickers, pre-paid tags, hybrid systems and weight-based systems. Unit-based costing that reflects true disposal cost is fundamental to the success of any program.

Market-based or economic indicators for the emission of greenhouse gases need to be more actively examined. Certainly numerous political, educational, logistical and administrative challenges must be explored. Due to the specific nature of waste generation, recycling and disposal—any transition to reducing this material is critical. Increasing public awareness to move away from a disposable to a renewable society requires serious planning, design, resource allocation and dialogue. We must invest in changing our current energy policies.

Most important environmental issue ever
The U.S. has already failed meet the Kyoto protocol—in order to do this it would have to curtail its emissions from automobiles and power plants by 35% from anticipated levels in 2008, an unlikely scenario.

As the largest polluter, the U.S. needs to clean its house first. Each of us can make many crucial choices in the next few years as to how much gas we emit. It is time become responsible for what we release because our gaseous waste represents a shameful policy for a country that prides itself as a world leader. We simply cannot afford to continue to neglect what we are doing to this planet.

Readers who would like to learn more about global warming can visit the following websites:
www.epa.gov/mswclimate
www.iclei.org
www.epa.gov/globalwarming
www.pewclimate.org

About the author: Rob Arner has worked in the field of solid waste and environmental issues both inside and outside of Washington, D.C. for the past 20 years. He can be reached at rarner@shentel.net

References
¹ Jennifer Morgan, Director of Climate Change, "Loopholes in Treaty Could Harm the Environment." World Wildlife Fund, Washington Post, 11/15/00, pg 12
² Office of Science and Technology Policy, "Climate Change: State of Knowledge (Executive Office of the President, 199)
³ Andrew Revkin, New York Times, 11/16/00
⁴ Jim McNelly, "The Role of Composting in Sequestering Carbon," Comments on RPA's Interim Report on the Impacts of Various Waste Management Options on Carbon Sequestration Rates. NaturTech Composting Systems, Inc. 3/2/00
⁵ City of Berkeley Energy Office, "Make a Personal Pledge to Protect Our Climate," 1/00