Solar 2018
Download Report
As we wrap up 2018 and reflect on a very busy year, I am inclined to contemplate why we do solar work? You may think it is because we love the look of trendy glass panels on roofs and in yards. Unfortunately, that is only the side benefit. We are trying to promote renewable energy sources and education because the climate is changing and we, you and I collectively, get to determine what the future looks like.
On the day after thanksgiving the US government quietly issued its fourth version of a federally mandated National Climate Assessment, which identifies how the changing climate has, and will, affect the weather patterns and lifestyle that we know. This report was compiled by representatives of the following US Departments:
U.S. Global Change Research Program, Department of Commerce, Department of State, Department of the Interior, Department of Transportation, Smithsonian Institution, Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Agency for International Development, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Department of Transportation, Department of Defense, Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency.
The report can be found at https://nca2018.globalchange.gov, and the overview contains the following initial passages:
Earth’s climate is now changing faster than at any point in the history of modern civilization, primarily as a result of human activities. The impacts of global climate change are already being felt in the United States and are projected to intensify in the future—but the severity of future impacts will depend largely on actions taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the changes that will occur.
Climate-related risks will continue to grow without additional action. Decisions made today determine risk exposure for current and future generations and will either broaden or limit options to reduce the negative consequences of climate change. While Americans are responding in ways that can bolster resilience and improve livelihoods, neither global efforts to mitigate the causes of climate change nor regional efforts to adapt to the impacts currently approach the scales needed to avoid substantial damages to the U.S. economy, environment, and human health and well-being over the coming decades.
Our US annual average temperatures have increased by 1.8°F (1°C) across the contiguous United States since the beginning of the 20th century, higher than the rate of increase of the world on average.
These US findings are in parallel with the International Panel for Climate Change, which has been working on identifying the causes and mitigation strategies for climate change for 26 years or so. Currently they are planning for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Katowice, Poland in December 2018. Their ongoing herculean efforts try to identify how collective action can be made by a world of countries, each with their own needs and wants, include the following:
INCHEON, Republic of Korea, 8 Oct – Limiting global warming to 1.5ºC would require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society, the IPCC said in a new assessment. With clear benefits to people and natural ecosystems, limiting global warming to 1.5ºC compared to 2ºC could go hand in hand with ensuring a more sustainable and equitable society, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said on Monday. The Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC was approved by the IPCC on Saturday in Incheon, Republic of Korea. It will be a key scientific input into the Katowice Climate Change Conference in Poland in December, when governments review the Paris Agreement to tackle climate change. http://www.ipcc.ch/report/sr15/
“With more than 6,000 scientific references cited and the dedicated contribution of thousands of expert and government reviewers worldwide, this important report testifies to the breadth and policy relevance of the IPCC,” said Hoesung Lee, Chair of the IPCC.
Ninety-one authors and review editors from 40 countries prepared the IPCC report in response to an invitation from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) when it adopted the Paris Agreement in 2015.
This treaty was ratified by every country in the world, and the US is now the only country that has taken steps to withdraw from the global climate treaty. There are local and state programs, however, that are driving the US to incorporate more renewable energy into our electrical generation and transportation programs. Because states independently regulate their power grid, responses and priorities of the various states are different.
Collectively we look to our government(s) to set standards which will guide businesses, direct infrastructure decisions and prioritize renewable energy decisions and focus. It’s a breath of fresh air to know that Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has taken steps to encourage a “Green New Deal.” https://ocasio2018.com/green-new-deal. This proposal is ambitious, perhaps too ambitious, but it brings the sense of urgency and national dialog to the problem, a conversation that has been long avoided. The process of developing and deploying renewable energy, transforming the grid, and making homes and businesses more energy efficient would keep a lot of people busy. Government could begin to drive these changes through any one of the incentive programs already proposed and within the national dialog, such as those proposed by the Citizens Climate Lobby as an example https://citizensclimatelobby.org/.
So, the bottom line is that 3 billion or so of us need to become aware of, and take individual action to minimize, our carbon footprint https://www3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator/. This includes not only the energy that we use, but our choices and means of transportation, the priorities about insulating our homes and businesses, prioritizing and promoting recycling and reuse, and the food we eat all use energy and produce CO2 into the atmosphere. The steps we take, or do not take, will in a small way affect the degree to which our children and grandchildren inherit a home where they can live and thrive like we do.
This is why we do what we do. If you care about the quality of the planet that your children will inherit, encourage appropriate action on a governmental level and take action on an individual level. Now is the time!
Thanks for a successful year. Happy Holidays!
