Environmental Security
Our profligate use of energy is the single biggest threat to the global environment. Burning fossil fuel is of course the source of global warming. What is more this is also the thing that collectively we as consumers have control over. This was borne out in a book published by the Union of Concerned Scientist, The Consumers Guide to Effective Environmental Choices. In this book the authors looked at all the things that we could do that would have the biggest impact in protecting the environment. The 200 page book is summarized in the following table that appears in the book.
Priority Actions for American Consumers
1. Live close to work.
2. Think twice before purchasing another car.
3. Choose fuel-efficient cars.
4. Reduce travel.
5. Use alternative transportation
6. Eat less meat.
7. Buy certified organic produce.
8. Choose your home carefully.
9. Reduce costs of heating and hot water.
10. Install efficient lighting and appliances.
11. Choose renewable energy.
These are the things that we can do that will have the biggest impact in improving the environment. What is striking is that 9/11 items on the list have to do with conserving energy. Further in the text of the book the authors note that while they did not want to assign priorities, our use of cars and light trucks has the most significant impact.
So if we want to do the most we can to protect the environment we need to reign in our use of fossil fuels.
Priority Actions for American Consumers
1. Live close to work.
2. Think twice before purchasing another car.
3. Choose fuel-efficient cars.
4. Reduce travel.
5. Use alternative transportation
6. Eat less meat.
7. Buy certified organic produce.
8. Choose your home carefully.
9. Reduce costs of heating and hot water.
10. Install efficient lighting and appliances.
11. Choose renewable energy.
These are the things that we can do that will have the biggest impact in improving the environment. What is striking is that 9/11 items on the list have to do with conserving energy. Further in the text of the book the authors note that while they did not want to assign priorities, our use of cars and light trucks has the most significant impact.
So if we want to do the most we can to protect the environment we need to reign in our use of fossil fuels.
posted by Geoff Berg | 12:43 PM
2 Comments:
Duly noted; please see my earlier comment on a voluntary tax participation whereby Americans would receive a tax rebate available for private investment.
An OH, By the way to that, you have to buy oil from a domestic and/or non Middle East producer.
Is that possible or is our Middle East oil demand gotten so dependent this is not possible?
Correction: Change "bourn out" to "borne out" The past passive participle of "bear" is "borne".
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