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Fossil fuel habit described as likely to reshape climate By
Natalie Larson
Continued climate changes can be expected as unchecked carbon dioxide levels rise, causing global warming, according to a PBS documentary produced by Nova and Frontline in Summer 2000. The film was shown Wednesday night in Old Main, Room 121, as part of a series of seminars from the Natural Resource and Environmental Policy Program. Joanna Endter-Wada, a natural resources faculty member, said, "We have developed this series to help meet student needs. The College of Natural Resources recognized the need for the opportunity to learn more about the social and policy issues related to Natural Resources." The following information was presented in that film. Little is being done to find alternative renewable resource energy or to reduce the use of fossil fuels. The American consumer is dependent on the availability of energy. As undeveloped countries work for economic growth, they too will start producing more carbon dioxide. The United States uses one-fourth of the world's energy supply, and 60 percent of that comes from fossil fuels. Today, the average American uses enough power to produce 20 tons of carbon dioxide a year. The simple act of showering once a day uses enough energy to create 560 pounds of carbon dioxide. In the past century, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air has risen significantly. In the next 50 years, it is predicted to be twice that of pre-industrial levels. Current average global temperatures have risen by one degree because of the greenhouse effect, and continue to rise. Today's technology has allowed scientists to measure the earth's average temperatures for the past 450,000 years, and this rise has been unprecedented for any other era. As far as national policy about global warming is concerned, Al Gore promised that the United States would reduce their levels of carbon dioxide output by 20 percent at the Kyoto Conference in 1997. The Senate refused to accept the action on a vote of 95-0, and no further action has been made. If these levels continue to rise, scientists predict further, more drastic climate changes, which likely would include polar ice cap melting, sea-level rising, an increase in the number and size of storms and harmful effects on crops due to drought. The use of renewable resources to generate energy is one way to reduce these affects. These resources include hydroelectricity, nuclear energy, biomass energy, solar energy and wind energy. These alternative forms of energy are used primarily to supplement fossil fuel energy because of their unreliability. Nuclear energy is limited by its unpopularity. Fred Wagner will present the next part of the series at 6 p.m. Sept. 27 in Old Main, Room 121. Wagner is an emeritus faculty member at Utah State and is the chair of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for the Intermountain West. He will address the issues of global warming that specifically relate to the Intermountain West. For more information, see the Office of Science and Technology Policy website at www.ostp.org. These seminars can be taken by students for a credit in either NR 4440 or NR 6440. For more information, contact Endter-Wada at endter@cnr.usu.edu or 797-2487. Information is also available in the College of Natural Resource main office at 797-2797 or from Judy Kurtzman at judyk@cnr.usu.edu.
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