The ISCFC is all about reducing our individual and collective contributions to climate change.
But is climate change really happening? Is it mostly caused by human activity, including our production of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases?
In the United States and elsewhere, there are people who are not convinced by the science. But the great thing about science is that we use evidence to evaluate scientific questions. So what is the evidence related to climate change?
Are you or are you not convinced by the majority of climate scientists who say that climate change is real and largely human caused? Why are you convinced/not convinced? What evidence might change your mind one way or the other?
Is Climate Change Real & Human-Caused? >
Climate Change and Transportation
Climate change is a real and pressing problem in our society, and it appears to me that the root of the issue is transportation. Part of the reason that this is apparent to me is because of my own personal carbon footprint results, in which the transportation portion was more than two times the average. What is interesting to me is that this is a common trend amongst many of my peers, as we have similar commutes. It is an interesting problem because tranportation is such a vital part of a functioning society. For me, the answer lies in renewable energy, particularly elctrically fuelled vehicles. Here is a link showing the different emission statistics for varying fuels: http://www.afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/ele … ssions.php
Having said that, however, even if we switch to an electric alternative, it will be imperative to develop a cleaner way of generating electricity. Coal generates a huge amount of our electricity and is a horrible polutant: http://www.ucsus a.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/c01.html#.Vgnp2BNViko
It is a problem that is difficult to assess, and even more problematic to solve, but it is a problem that must be faced sooner rather than later.
I agree with you Jackson, transportation is one of the main contributors to CO2 emissions this was also obvious to me as well because it also showed up really high in my carbon footprint results. I agree with you, in order to solve this problem we must start using renewable energy. For example, using solar powered cars, or electrical cars, these two types of cars are a lot more sustainable than gasoline powered cars and they would help us lower our CO2 emissions a lot.
Transportation was a great factor to my carbon footprint, but actually the home category effected my carbon footprint the most. A solution to transportation that can decrease its output is carpooling. Instead of driving six cars daily, think about the change and easiness it would be to take one car with six people. This is also a convenience for the drivers. They will not have to drive everyday. According to http://www.carbonrally.com/challenges/29-carpool, "At current national average gasoline prices, each day you don’t drive saves you from burning about 1.3 gallons of gas, which is a savings of $3.34 each day, not including tolls, parking, and so on." Why not carpool? Changing gas is also a great idea. I agree with your opinion.