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Making Longboat Green


 This blog is devoted to global warming and how local governments are in a unique position to take effective measures to combat greenhouse gas emissions.

Initially I want to post a sort of manifesto, proclaiming that political pressure at the grassroots level may be the most viable avenue open to concerned residents, in that individuals are able to effect actual change in the actions of their local governments.

Please read the following report on the state of the planet. Note that at the end, the writer advocates action at the local level, since national political action appears to be not currently possible.

If everyone believes that everyone else will solve global warming, who is left to actually make things better?

Gene Jaleski

TAKEAWAYS FROM THE United Nations IPCC REPORT

•Hundreds of climate scientists, thousands of research studies, eight years of work—building on more than three decades of research before that—have been boiled down in the past fortnight to a single message: we are running out of time. It’s worth noting that the report also receives sign-off from 195 countries.

• Scientists cite evidence that human-induced climate change already affects weather and climate extremes across the globe, not just in certain areas.

• Global warming will exceed 1.5–2°C during the 21st century unless we drastically reduce CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions in the next couple of decades.

• Limiting human-caused global warming necessitates a limit to our cumulative CO2 emissions. We have to achieve at least net-zero CO2 emissions, in addition to steep reductions in other GHG emissions.

• Companies have to do their part. We recommend a three-pronged approach: prevent, mitigate, and adapt.

Personally, or professionally, if you take one thing away from the IPCC report it should be this: the time to act is now.  

Companies and organizations—both big and small—must take action if we are going to avoid more irrevocable damage to our climate.  

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