Saturday, May 11, 2013

Breaking Records for Greenhouse Gases

Well scientists just confirmed that carbon dioxide is at its highest levels in millions of years. It seems a given that climate change will accelerate as feedback mechanisms in the atmosphere respond to the peak in greenhouse gases.

As I read the report in this morning's New YorkTimes there is an ad on the next page for a device that spews carbon dioxide to control mosquitoes in your back yard. A whole section is devoted to travel to exotic places. Yet we know that every car ride, every flight, every air conditioned moment burns fossil fuels and releases carbon dioxide.

Billions of people live near coastlines with rising ocean levels and more billions of people will be affected by global climate change. Governments have done a dismal job of curbing greenhouse emissions yet in a way it's not the fault of our "leaders." The demand for fossil fuels, the addiction we have formed, is part of the deep heart of our consumer culture. I use more fossil fuel energy in a day than my Sri Lankan friend uses in a month.

Time for bicycles?

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