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By Linda S. Heard


  On September 30, in a surprising and very welcome move, Russia finally agreed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, agreed upon by more than 150 nations in December 1997. Under its terms, signatories are committed to reducing emissions of green house gases by an average of eight per cent by 2010. Russia accounts for 17 per cent of world emissions.  

  Carbon dioxide levels are currently the highest in more than 420,000 years, prompting the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to warn that unless carbon dioxide levels are severely reduced the Earth average temperature will rise by as much as 5.8 degrees centigrade by 2100. Such a reduction demands the slashing of human-generated greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 80 per cent by 2050 at the very latest. 

  Greenhouse gases are so called because they act like glass in a greenhouse, trapping heat. The burning of coal, oil and natural gas increases concentrations of these gases in the atmosphere. Major sources of such gases are power plants, gas guzzling automobiles as well as the cutting down and burning of timber. Deforestation contributes to the problem. 

  Shockingly, the world’s worst emitter of all carbon dioxide from fossil fuels, the U.S, has shied away from signing up to Kyoto. Although the U.S. boasts a mere 4.5 per cent of the world’s population, it is responsible for a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.  

  America’s ally Australia – another heavy polluter – has shamefully gone down the same “I’m all right Jack” route. Only 0.3 per cent of the world’s population live in Australia but they emit the highest per capita levels of greenhouse gas pollution in the world. 

  In spite of heavy global pressure, President George W. Bush consistently refused to contemplate signing up to Kyoto – even though his predecessor Clinton had agreed in principle to cut emissions by seven per cent - putting the already bulging pockets of his corporate friends before the well being of the planet.  

  Those friends include members of a powerful coalition of oil, power and auto companies, which deny the harm they cause, and have spent millions of dollars attempting to discredit the scientific evidence which backs up the global warming concept.  

  Among them are Amoco, Chevron, Chrysler, Exxon, Ford, General Motors, Goodyear, Mobil, Texaco, Union Carbide, American Electric Power and Western Fuels. Although their counter claims fall on deaf ears as far as the American public goes, they carry weight with the White House and Congress. Many are Bush-Cheney campaign contributors. 

  In early 2001, George W. Bush formed an energy task force headed by Vice-President Dick Cheney to develop a national energy policy. Its findings were kept secret until a judge ordered some of them released in to the public domain in 2002.  

  Although heavily censored, they revealed Bush administration officials sought extensive advice from utility companies as well as the oil, gas, coal and nuclear energy industries, and incorporated their recommendations – often word for word – into their energy plan. There was little, if any, thought given to global warming.  

  Global warming, resulting from human activities that release heat-trapping gases and particles into the air, can and should be tackled by all of the world’s leaders. The future of mankind rests in their hands, which makes the isolationist attitudes of the U.S. and Australia all the more incomprehensible and unacceptable.  

  Judging by statistical records, the situation may be already dire. The U.N. World Meteorological Organisation states that last year was the third warmest since records were first kept in the 1860s. The previous year 2002 was the second hottest, while 1998 broke the record.  

  Over the past 100 years Earth’s temperatures have risen by an average of six degrees centigrade, while ten out of 18 of the warmest years on record have occurred during the past 14 years.  

What have we done? 

  Studies have shown that plants and animals are changing their habits and behaviour in response to climate shifts. Angela Eiss, science historian and author of “What have we done?” told the New Scientist that Arctic wildlife such as polar bears have already suffered from global warming.  

  “Polar bears,” she says, “used to rely on sea ice to reach their prey. When it melted, they started dying in droves…” She warns that the caribou is going the same way and is likely to be extinct by 2110. 

 Changes in our environment have already occurred with receding mountain glaciers the norm. Since 1900, there has been a 50 per cent reduction in glacier ice in the European Alps, while the Arctic ice pack has already lost about 40 per cent of its thickness during the past 40 years. 

  These trends are partly responsible for the rising global sea level, which has risen three times faster in the past 100 years than it did during the previous three millennia.  

  The environmental group WWF has said billions of people will face severe water shortages as glaciers around the world melt. Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia would be worst affected, it predicted, while in the Himalayas, there was a grave danger of flooding. 

  Scientists warn if our Earth continues to heat up, we could face catastrophic consequences. Among the most severe will be rising sea levels, severe floods, devastating cyclones, hurricanes, heat waves and droughts, resulting in diminishing potable water resources, the destruction of lives and property, and the spread of infectious diseases, carried by insects and rodents. The world’s poorest will, as usual, bear the brunt of these catastrophes.  

  Although, Eiss warns that some parts of the world must prepare for a greater prevalence of el-niños, northern Europeans are “enjoying a much better climate than their grandparents did”.  This comes with the caveat that “they shouldn’t feel too smug” as “there could be a strange reversal on the way.” 

  She explains this reversal by saying: “Because the ocean’s getting so much warmer than it used to be, and also because there is more fresh water running into the Northern Atlantic, it looks as if the seawater’s becoming much less dense. The sinking might stop any day now. If that happens, all the warming could start to reverse in Britain and northern Europe, and they might even plunge into a mini ice age...” 

  Ross Gelbspan, author of “The Heat is on: the Climate Crisis, the Cover-up, the Prescription” believes there will be a permanent state of emergency due to climate change. He writes: “Long before the systems of the planet buckle, democracy will disintegrate under the stress of ecological disasters and their social consequences. 

So what can be done to diminish this frightening trend? 

  The U.S. Public Interest Research Group suggests increasing fuel efficiency standards to 45 miles per gallon for cars and 34 miles per gallon for light trucks; putting a cap on carbon dioxide from power plants, as well as decreasing pollution that causes acid rain, smog and respiratory illness; and shifting investment from fossil fuels to renewable energy and energy efficiency. The group also recommends that the U.S. ratify the Kyoto Protocol. 

What’s on tap? 

  The National Resources Defence Council (NRDC) blames the Bush administration for “making the problem worse instead of better. Seemingly more concerned about protecting corporate polluters than protecting public health, the administration is campaigning to hobble existing laws, thwart efforts to strengthen current pollution standards and cut funds for programmes that protect tap water.”

 

  In its carefully researched study of the drinking water in 19 U.S. cities “What’s on Tap?” NRDC says drinking water is polluted and poses health risks to some residents. Lead, pathogens (germs) and carcinogenic by-products of chlorine treatment, which sometimes cause reproductive problems, as well as arsenic, radon and rocket fuel were found in the water. It asks Congress to act to strengthen the laws and contaminant standards to protect the purity and safety of U.S. drinking water and demands that the administration’s broad assault on Clean Water Act protections should be stopped. 

  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that one third of America’s lakes and one-quarter of its rivers are contaminated with mercury and other pollutants, which could cause health problems for children and pregnant women who eat fish. Although adults rarely suffer health problems from eating fish laden with mercury, the nervous systems of children and babies in the womb can be severely damaged. 

  Lake Champlain, Lake Michigan, San Francisco Bay and Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest are among waterways contaminated with mercury, generally thought to have originated from incinerators and power plants that burn coal. 

  One of the best-known champions of clean water is Erin Brockovich. After a serious car accident, the unemployed mother of three with no formal education begged a California law firm to take her on as a filing clerk. While browsing through medical records, she discovered a community plagued by severe health problems related to the local water supply.  

  After she persuaded her reluctant boss to pursue the case, she won the community’s confidence and gathered together over 600 plaintiffs. The result was the Pacific Gas and Electric Company – responsible for the leakage of Chromium 6, which had seeped into the ground water from its nearby compressor station – was forced to hand over US$333 million. Brockovich’s amazing story was later made into an Oscar-nominated movie starring Julia Roberts.

Dirty Air 

  The EPA estimated that more than 120 million Americans live in areas where the air is unhealthy. This aggravates respiratory problems, such as asthma and emphysema to premature death. Air pollution also harms the environment, causes acid rain, ozone damage to trees and crops, mercury contamination and contributes to global warming. Electric power plants, it says, are the “single largest industrial source of some of the worst air pollutants...” 

  Last year, the Bush administration came up with a clean air initiative called “Clear Skies”. However, NRDC says “Clear Skies” is a misnomer because it weakens health protections already required under the Clean Air Act. New targets have been set for emissions for sulphur dioxide, mercury and nitrogen oxides from U.S. power plants but these targets are weaker than those in place under current laws. Furthermore, “Clear Skies” makes no mention of capping carbon dioxide emissions or the related threat to global warming.  

Most Polluted City 

  While there is no doubt the Bush administration is one of the most environmentally unfriendly the U.S. has had in recent times, American cities have a long way to go to catch up with the rates of pollution in the world’s most polluted town. In Mexico City, children rarely use blue when they paint the sky. Mexico City has been named “the most dangerous city in the world for children in terms of air pollution” by the U.S.-based World Resources Institute. Beijing, Shanghai, Tehran and Calcutta aren’t far behind. 

  Isn’t it time for our leaders to spend less time chasing shadows and more concentrating on preserving the planet not only for ourselves but also for future generations.  

  Are we really prepared to leave behind a legacy of poor air, contaminated water and a hole in the ozone layer too big to repair so that mega international corporations can hand political parties along with their executives and shareholders just a few dollars more?

   

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