|
Global Warming: Problems and Solutions
There’s a lot of talk on climate change. There’s also some action, but with little coming from Washington.
Perhaps the worst news is that the Arctic ice cap is melting much faster than expected. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, it could be gone by 2020 instead of the grim-enough prediction of 2050. That in turn could speed global warming, because ice reflects heat back into space.
Vicious circles of this sort are why experts fear a “tipping point,” where rapid, irreversible change takes place. Part of the solution is to realize that there’s no place to run or hide from environmental disasters. Global warming could either turn Montana into a desert—a place to run away from—or an oasis overrun by environmental refugees.
As we already see, small changes in temperature can make massive differences to the environment: it may be hurricanes down south and droughts and diseased forests closer to home. There may be tricky technical solutions to global warming, but we shouldn’t count on them. With such a complex problem, there’s no telling when clever solutions will create a worse problem.
We’re fortunate that AERO (Alternative Energy Resources Organization) is releasing an Energy Blueprint for Montana very soon. It will focus on non-polluting technologies, such as solar, wind, and of course conservation—the quickest, cheapest, most effective way to reduce carbon emissions.
Our consumption habits can make a huge difference. Much of our global warming problem comes from burning fossil fuels, notably gasoline for cars and coal for power plants. Our dependence on them is massive and growing—China is building a new coal-powered plant per week—but we can change that through alternative fuels, mass transit, better urban design, local foods and lifestyles that are not driven by commercials.
Land use ranks right behind fossil fuels as a source of greenhouse gases. We need to quit burning the rainforest to produce fast-food burgers, for example.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, we’re a business with a mission. We’re here to do our part—and more. It’s our nature.
|
|
STORE HOURS |
| Mon |
8 am - 8 pm |
| Tue |
8 am - 8 pm |
| Wed |
8 am - 8 pm |
| Thu |
8 am - 8 pm |
| Fri |
8 am - 8 pm |
| Sat |
8 am - 8 pm |
| Sun |
9 am - 7 pm |
| | |
|
|
 |
|
Back
