"What You Can Do"

[bloom]

What You Can Do

Assuming Personal Responsibility

In Walt Kelly's comic strip Pogo, the sage possum observes "We have met the enemy and he is us." This is true about air pollution, stratospheric ozone depletion and climate change. We can't blame these problems on a handful of industrial villains. They are a byproduct of an industrial civilization from which we each daily derive benefit. In one instance, the protection of the stratospheric ozone layer that makes it possible for us to live above ground, we have seen dramatic action internationally to preserve this fragile shield. Even here the groundwork was laid in part by consumer action to buy substitutes for CFC spray cans just a few years after scientists identified the risks we faced.

It has taken much longer to summon up equal resolve to address air pollution and climate change, although great resources are now committed toward air quality protection. Yet, the sweeping changes that must occur if we are to stabilize greenhouse concentrations in our atmosphere will require a sea change in energy systems. Such change is not likely to happen by policy measures alone--it will require evidence that consumers are willing to buy cleaner technologies, use energy more efficiently and use mass transit alternatives when they are available.

Individual actions build markets for clean products enabling them to assume larger market shares and become price competitive; they also send a signal to public officials of public resolve. To that end you may want to use a Personal Environmental Impact Calculator to estimate the annual damage your and your family's actions have on the environment and examine ways you might lessen or offset this burden.

Among the options to reduce emissions are purchases of green power in places where consumers can make such a choice such as Green Mountain. <more>

http://www.climate.org/topics/you/index.shtml

Even the Pentagon came out with a report in February saying:

Climate change will destroy us

· Secret report warns of rioting and nuclear war
· Britain will be 'Siberian' in less than 20 years
· Threat to the world is greater than terrorism

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1153513,00.html



Of course Bush won't lead the country - but there are things we can do....