*Global warming worse than believed. In January, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that Earth’s average temperature may rise as much as 10 degrees F in the next century, twice as much as previously thought. Meeting chair John Houghton stated "the rate of climate change is expected to be greater than it has been in the past 10,000 years." In other words, since the last Ice Age!

Global warming is NOT a theory, it is observable fact, and it’s happening NOW! Evidence includes temperature measurements and ice core data going back 160,000 years, melting Alaskan permafrost, retreating glaciers around the world, changing onset of seasons, spreading deserts, and migrations of plant and animal species. The hottest recorded year was 1998, beating the old record set... in 1997. The 10 hottest years have all come since 1980. The Greenland ice sheet (second biggest in the world) is losing enough ice annually to cover Maryland one foot thick. Large portions of the Antarctic ice sheet are sloughing off into the ocean, with pieces bigger than Larimer County breaking off in 1998 and again in 2000. At current rates, carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere will double by 2070, raising sea levels up to 3 feet, inundating coastal areas and causing millions of people to flee.

Likely climate change effects include greater extremes of heat and cold, more floods, droughts and severe weather, spread of diseases, weeds and pests, and severe strain on ecosystems like forests, wetlands, and coral reefs.

The Kyoto Accords committed the US to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by only 7%. The US produces one quarter of all the greenhouse gases in the world, and uses twice as much energy per capita as Europe does. We could easily meet our targets by requiring SUV’s and trucks to meet fuel efficiency standards, and switching our $20 billion annual subsidy from fossil fuels to solar energy, wind power, hydrogen and fuel cells. Ex-President Clinton proposed unlimited pollution trading and counting existing forests as carbon sinks. In other words, use’fuzzy math’ to get credit for doing nothing. Now President Bush has gone farther, abandoning our Kyoto commitments, reneging on his campaign promise to regulate carbon dioxide emissions, proposing oil and gas drilling in wilderness areas, slashing the budget for energy efficiency and renewables, and even proposing to bring back nuclear power.

Because carbon dioxide lingers in the atmosphere so long, it’s like trying to turn around a supertanker. By the time the effects are obvious, it may well be too late. We only have 20 years to avoid major disruptions. What can you do? If you love your children, raise hell! Call President Bush and DEMAND he reverse course and fight global warming. Contact Congress and the State Legislature. Platte River Power Authority wants to build a second coal-fired generator at Rawhide, when there’s enough wind energy in Wyoming to power the entire West. Tell PRPA to switch to clean energy production. Take action personally to reduce energy use, waste and overconsumption.

It’s time to jump out of the pan before we all croak!

Eric Fried

Poudre Valley Green Party

(http://www.pvgreens.org/)

Fort Collins, Colorado

Detailed references available upon request