SierraScape December 2002 - January 2003
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by Jill Miller, Global Warming and Energy Organizer
As the Missouri organizer for a national program, I meet people all over the state who care deeply about our environment and our planet's future. People are concerned about our continued dependence on fossil fuels, which endanger our nation's energy security, threaten places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with oil drilling, and pour excess carbon dioxide (CO2) into the Earth's atmosphere, causing it to heat up.
Global warming is one of the most serious environmental threats we face. Man-made climate change from the burning of fossil fuels is already significantly impacting our planet, and poses a grave danger to us here in the Midwest (see sidebar).
Around the country, Sierrans, students, educators, faith organizations, government agencies, community leaders, farmers, business people and even sheriffs are joining forces to reduce fossil fuel consumption and halt global warming. With good reason, people are focusing on reducing fuel consumption of our automobiles.
Putting into action the phrase "think globally, act locally," people in Missouri are advocating cleaner, more efficient gas-electric hybrid cars and other available technologies that dramatically increase the mpg of any car, truck or SUV, and reduce CO2 emissions. You can help!
Increasing the gas mileage of the cars we drive is part of the solution. Automakers actually have the technology and know-how to improve gas mileage, but right now, those technologies are sitting on the shelf. Consumers deserve better choices. We must call on our automakers to take responsible action.
The Sierra Club calls these fuel-saving technologies the "Freedom Option Package". These options include:
- Continuously Variable Automatic Transmission (CVT) helps boost fuel economy through better gear ratios. Used in the Saturn Vue, Toyota Prius and hybrid Honda Civic.
- Variable-Valve Control Engine mixes fuel and air more precisely, making the engine more efficient.
- Integrated Starter Generator is also known as "idle-off" or "auto-stop". The engine shuts off when the driver comes to a complete stop, and restarts seamlessly the instant the driver takes their foot off the brake. This feature alone saves as much as 15 percent of gasoline, which is ordinarily wasted idling in traffic!
To learn more, go to www.sierraclub.org/freedompackage.
How Can I Help?
1) Call a local car dealership today! Picking up the phone is always one of the most effective things you can do. Tell them that you want vehicles of all makes and models that use less gasoline. Ask for a vehicle you'd like to buy with "Freedom Option Package" technologies.
2) Go for "green fleets". Ask area businesses and organizations with fleets of vehicles to buy hybrids or other, more fuel-efficient models.
3) Give us a call. To get involved in the Sierra Club's Global Warming and Energy campaign, please contact Jill Miller at 314-645-2032, or email jill.miller@sierraclub.org.
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Global Warming in Missouri Global warming is a measurable phenomenon in which the Earth's atmosphere is heating up due to greenhouse gases, which act like a heat-trapping blanket around our planet, according to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a scientific body of over 2,500 scientists from around the world. The primary culprit is carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon dioxide is emitted as a result of human beings burning fossil fuels. Coal-fired power plants, industry sources, and our own automobiles are the main sources of CO2. Numerous reports on global warming have detailed the detrimental impacts on communities, human health, wildlife and habitat worldwide. We are already seeing accelerated rates of melting polar ice caps, vanishing glaciers and thawing tundra, but global warming is also expected to affect the Midwest in the next 20 to 30 years. In Missouri, we could face more severe droughts, as well as more intense storms and increased flooding, directly impacting agriculture and riverside communities, including the St. Louis metropolitan region. Warmer water temperatures could reduce habitat for smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, yellow perch, and other species that inhabit Ozark streams. In cities, intense heat waves would threaten more lives than ever. One study projects that in the next fifty years, heat-related deaths in St. Louis could more than double. Climate changes could also expand the habitat of disease-carrying insects, increasing the transmission of illnesses such as malaria and dengue fever. Mosquitoes flourish in Missouri, and some carry St. Louis encephalitis. This past summer, we witnessed the deadly effects of a disease that is new to our area, West Nile virus. These are all reasons why Missourians should invest in solutions for global warming-starting now, not another decade or two in the future. |