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We’ve put together these basic frequently asked questions to give you a starting point in your global warming education. When you’re done reading up on the basics, check out our site to learn more about how you can do your part to lower your contribution to global warming.
Global warming is caused by the atmospheric buildup of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, which form a sort of blanket over the Earth, trapping in heat that would normally escape the atmosphere. Most human-generated greenhouse gases come in the form of carbon dioxide, a pollutant emitted from the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas. While it is true that there has always been some natural climate variability, record levels of carbon dioxide are spurring far-reaching changes in our weather, sea levels, and climate. 
Times are tough, there’s no doubt about it. We’re facing a convergence of multiple crises, from a warming planet to dwindling fossil fuel reserves to a stumbling economy. Reducing our energy consumption won’t make all these problems disappear overnight, but it can make a big difference.
The key is to take action now. To fire you up, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite energy-saving tips, starting with ones that won’t cost you a penny.
You’ve seen it in the news: Celebrities are flying all over the globe in private jets, then assuaging their guilty consciences by paying a fee to a company to “offset” their emissions of carbon dioxide and other climate-altering greenhouse gases. Or maybe you’ve passed a Hummer on the highway with a bumper sticker reading, “My vehicle is carbon neutral.” If that’s not galling enough, there are reports of some of the carbon-offset companies making obscene profits and contributing less than 20% of revenues to emissions-reduction projects. So are carbon offsets nothing but “greenwash”?
Not quite. But this new and booming industry deserves to be treated with a healthy dose of skepticism. The concept is a good one–carbon offsets give you a way to vote with your dollars. Problem is, right now it can be hard to tell whether your money is actually doing any good. While there are several organizations working to establish standards for offset quality, the industry is largely unregulated, and some offset providers are not delivering on their promises.
Read on to learn about what to look for–and what to look out for–when buying offsets.
Homes account for a whopping 21% of all U.S. emissions of climate-changing carbon dioxide. And that’s just from powering furnaces, air conditioners, lights, appliances, and gadgets. It doesn’t take into account the energy that goes into building, furnishing, and maintaining our homes.
So your home is a good place to start if you want to help slow global warming. It’s basically a two-step process. First, you figure out how to use less energy. That means choosing energy-saving light bulbs and appliances, insulating and air sealing, and taking other low- or no-cost steps to make your home energy efficient. The second step involves considering “renewable” energy. The Earth can provide a finite amount of fossil fuels such as oil and coal–and then they are gone. But if your home can harness the inexhaustible energy of the sun or the wind, you can help the United States transform the way it produces electricity and create a brighter future.
Solar electric systems, which are also called photovoltaic (PV) systems, convert the sun’s energy into electricity. PV systems are made up of semiconductor cells manufactured in thin layers and grouped into larger modules. They need to be installed in a south-facing location (typically on a roof) that’s not shaded by trees, buildings, or other structures.
Carbon Dioxide Explained
In a recent press conference, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson said that in the next few months, carbon dioxide (CO2) will be declared a dangerous pollutant. As Jackson states it, a formal “endangerment finding”will cause the government to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act, which will, undoubtedly, help move climate change legislation through Congress.
In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled that the government could regulate greenhouse gases that qualify as pollutants and threaten public health. Greenhouse gases, which trap heat within the earth, are major contributors to climate change. In April, the EPA found carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases to be pollutants that could possibly threaten public health.
Some powerful environmental forces, including President Obama and Jackson, would prefer if Congress implements the greenhouse gas limits because, according to Jackson, “it will combine the most efficient, most economy-wide, least costly and least disruptive way to deal with carbon dioxide pollution…We get further faster without top-down regulation.” The EPA is willing to handle the responsibility of regulating greenhouse gases given by the Supreme Court. Jackson says, “Two years is a long time for this country to wait for us to respond to the Supreme Court’s ruling.”
Is your lunch causing global warming?!?! Did you know, the food system is responsible for 1/3 of global greenhouse gas emissions? With every meal you eat, you have the power to reduce climate change.
The Bon Appétit Management Company Low Carbon Diet Calculator is designed to allow you to compare the relative carbon impacts of your food choices. Sierra Club Green Home is happy to partner with Bon Appétit Management Company to bring you this tool. Drag and drop menu items, ingredients or sample meals into your virtual pan and calculate the carbon emissions created by your meals. Start by making food choices that reduce your emissions by 25% and be part of the climate solution.
The green call to action–Reduce, Reuse, Recycle–makes more sense than ever. But it may be time to amp up those efforts by also Redirecting our dollars and Redesigning our lives.
In the face of a barrage of troubling news about the climate, energy, and other global crises, more people are searching for solutions. Some find ways to make immediate about-faces, like the pack-a-day smoker who goes cold turkey. Others make changes in small steps, trying out new approaches, gaining confidence, and then gradually letting go of old ways.
Small steps are vital–their impact really does add up. If every U.S. home replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an energy-saving compact fluorescent, the reduction in greenhouse gases would be equal to taking 800,000 cars off the road.
But will small steps be enough? No, not by any stretch of the imagination. Some credible economic studies have concluded that the planet’s ability to provide for humanity has been exceeded by our “ecological footprint.”
Originally published in Sierra Magazine in 2007
By Reed McManus
IN FEBRUARY 1977, JIMMY CARTER donned a cardigan to encourage Americans, still reeling from the effects of the Arab oil embargo, to turn down their thermostats as a way of immediately reducing the country’s dependence on imported oil. The former nuclear engineer was parodied for what looked like a Mr. Rogers moment, and since then few politicians have dared suggest that we tighten our collective belts.
But the need for energy conservation has only accelerated. As in the 1970s, the country is wrestling with air-quality problems and a foreign policy and an economy beholden to oil-exporting nations. Global warming has added urgency.
The great come-to-conservation moment for many people, however, follows a slap to the wallet rather than to the head. Last summer, gasoline in the United States rose to more than $3 per gallon, its highest price in 25 years (adjusted for inflation). When Carter first called on Americans to conserve, gas cost just $1.50 per gallon (adjusted for inflation). Suddenly, a fuel-efficient hybrid is cooler than an SUV, and the fuel-oil savings gained from installing insulation, sealing drafty doors and windows, and, yes, putting on a sweater become obvious.
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