Time to Act on Global Warming

Time to Act on Global Warming

The evidence on global warming has become increasingly hard to dispute: 20 consecutive years with above-average global temperatures, 18 consecutive months that set new all-time monthly temperature records, 1998 temperatures almost three-tenths of a degree Fahrenheit higher than the previous record (page 3). Most scientists now agree that the question is no longer

if global warming is happening, but rather how severe it will be, what the ramifications are, and what can be done about it.

Yet there remains skepticism. A small but desperate cadre of atmospheric scientists has been highly vocal in arguing that global warming is not occurring. It apparently does not bother their primary audience—the U.S. Congress—that most of these scientists are supported by the coal and oil industries. For the Western Fuels Association, which funds Patrick Michael’s

World Climate Report, and other like-minded associations and corporations, it is money well spent. The millions of dollars invested by these interests in lobbying and advertising have succeeded in convincing our Congress to block nearly all efforts to address global warming.

But it’s time to act. It’s way past time to act. There are several important roles that the building industry can and should play—after all, buildings and the building industry are directly or indirectly responsible for roughly 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. First, we should try to influence Congress to accept the need for reducing carbon emissions. If the National Association of Home Builders or the Association of General Contractors were to call for carbon taxes and increased federal spending on renewables and energy conservation, you can be sure that Congress would take note. So contact your trade organizations; urge them to lobby for action on global warming.

Second, we in the building industry should lead by doing. We should play a much more active role in convincing clients to increase insulation levels in buildings, to install better glazings, to incorporate daylighting strategies, to install higher-efficiency equipment, and to design more resource-efficient and transportation-efficient buildings. It’s time for us to stop waiting for our clients to ask us to do this; it’s time to just do it—whenever possible. At the very least, we should actively propose these strategies to our clients.

– Alex Wilson