The Lone Tree Council, Michigan Environmental Council, and Saginaw Valley Sustainability Society are holding a special fundraising concert on December 28th. (See Display ad on Page 4 in this issue)
For those concerned about the economic and societal effects of climate change, here's what you need to know:
Climate Change in a Nut Shell
The most significant indicator of the negative impact that humans have caused to the climate of the Earth is the measure in parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide (CO2) in our air. For 400,000 years the amount of CO2 in the air varied between 180 and 280 ppm of CO2 mostly due to imperfections in the Earth's path around the Sun. When the human population reached one billion in about 1810 and the burning of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas and oil) began to become our main source of energy, the amount of CO2 started to increase each year due to human activity.
In 1954 (the beginning of Rock n' Roll) it reached 312 ppm. In 1989 in hit 350 ppm and it is now 389 ppm and going up 2 ppm each year. Early scientific estimates were that 540 ppm would be a safe level, but more research and understanding has brought that figure down to 350 ppm.
The increase to date has affected our weather bringing flooding in some areas and drought in others, more violent tornados and hurricanes. If we do not stop burning fossil fuels the increase in CO2 will increase the temperature even more, causing glaciers and ice fields to melt more rapidly. This will increase sea levels, and very possibly cause the release of methane hydrates from the permafrost and ocean floors (nature will make it worse with no way for us to influence or moderate the increase). Individually we can conserve, but to get policies that will end the burning of fossil fuels we need to pursue the goal of setting a price on carbon. The Winter Rock-In-Concert is to provide funds to help educate people about the consequences of climate disruption and the solutions (many forms of renewable energy) that come from putting a price on carbon. Additional information can be found at www.sagvalss.org and
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Dec 08, 2011
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