List ways to reduce greenhouse gases.

 

• Use less hot water
• Turn off all electronic devices when you are not using them
• Plant trees
• Always recycle
• Use public transportation or start to ride bikes
• Fly less (Scott Vassalotti)

 

I think we can reduce greenhouse gases by insuring that recycling is easily

available to all households and business. --Christina Olson

 

I believe one way to help with reducing greenhouse gases is while we are doing as much as possible on the homefront, we and other world leaders, must put lots of public pressure on China (and any countries doing the same) to reduce their emissions and cut down on their excessive polluting ways. Unfortunately even if the US is doing their part at home reducing greenhouse gasses, our efforts here are largely undermined by China's insistence to make no such efforts. --Lyle Silverman

 

I believe there are many ways that we can reduce greenhouse gases. One major way is for people to carpool. I often sit in traffic jams and see tons of people driving their cars with no passengers and I wonder how many less cars there would be on the road if people talked to each other and tried to carpool. If we did this, not only would we cut down on traffic, but we'd be saving oil and the atmosphere by not polluting it as much. Another way to save energy and thus cutting back on pollutants is using the dryer less. Instead of drying all of your clothes for an hour in the machine, why not hang them somewhere and allow them to air dry? It's a well known fact that the dryer is one of the highest energy users in the common household. This would save energy and cut back on pollutants in the power facilities. -Matt Daughaday

 

I believe that a main solution is the contiuation of researching and utilizing renewable resources to heat homes and power cars, such as hybrids. More and more people should use them to reduce pollution and ensure that the future holds an answer for how to fuel all of our needs. -Jeff Walters

 

These are practical solutions and sensible, but ultimately very hard to achieve... some say impossible. Peak Oil is what we should be discussing. talk about it more @ a later time. I'll bring the book "The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies" by Richard Heinberg on monday for ppl who are interested to take a look at.- Brent Schubert

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I think that one great avenue is giving companies an economic incentive to reduce greenhouse gas emmissions. For a certain percentage reduction, the Federal government could grant a reduction in tax rate for that company.

 

On a smaller scale individuals could live more environmentally friendly lives by:

 

Recycling more

Using Cloth diapers

Driving hybrids

Driving less

Buying more environmentally friendly products.

 

State governments could work harder to enact legislation to make these choices more available and cheaper for their citizens. Putting up more recycling recepticles would be a great way to start.

 

--Magdalena

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The burning of fossil fuels is in my opinion one of the worst threats to the environment. Even though there are efforts to conserve fossil fuels in many countries I cannot see our modern world ever completely being rid of our dependency on them. Because let's face it there is more money in destroying the environment then there is in saving it. The oil industry's 2007 profits topped out at $40.6 billion dollars. They spent nearly $18.5 million in the first six months of 2007 on lobbying. Compare that to what eco-friendly ethanol producers spent- $1.6 million and there is an obvious advantage. The technology is there to allow for more ecofriendly products but realistically these are not money making ventures. Any effort to save the environment is like taking one step forward and two steps back because there is not enough global effort to thwart the pollution producing industries. Only when our planet completely runs out of fossil fuels can we hope to do anything about cleaning up the environment. And don't get me started on all the lazy people throwing their trash all over the roads!

 

--Cassie Murphy

 

 

1. Recycle everything paper cans etc.

2. Don’t run water when brushing teeth

3. Perhaps thinking that climate shift is a natural process that man has no control over (Peter Allen)

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Ways to reduce greenhouse gases:

- carpool whenever possible

-save electricity

-Turn off lights, TV and computers, etc, when not in use

-simply recycle

-walk or ride a bike

-drive hybrid car

-plant trees (Alysha Scott)

-Reduce Defforestration by Afforestration and introducing severe penalties to companies not following this.(Martin Ndegwa)

 

-I think money should be invested into improving the city because it would

make people want to move back to the city which would lessen the amount of

commuters everyday from surrounding counties and public transportation would

greatly reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air.

-In the perfect world I think it would be great if there was a national bike

day once a year where no one could drive cars, in addition I think the work

week should be lessend to 4 days a week and Sundays remain a day of rest and

everything is shut down even gas stations.

-I think energy conservation should be taught to little kids in schools

about leaving t.v.'s on and leaving a room and leaving the lights on, that

way we get them when they are young and they grow to apprecitate their

environment.

 

Holly Dix

 

1) Find a career close to home to cut down on commute time and distance. With gas prices rising, this also may save you more money in the long run. If possible, have some work online or work at home to cut down on unnecessary trips.

2) Buy local sources of food, cutting back on shipping and reducing fossil fuels in the air.

3) Make your own homemade cleaning supplies from baking soda, and vinegar. This cuts down on the harmful chemicals released in some cleaning supplies.

4) Cut back on the amount of meat consumed in a diet, as the industrial meat market produces large amounts of waste that relates to global climate changes.

5) Using more efficient light bulbs cuts back on the CO2 admissions in the ozone layer. (Patrick Daugherty)

 

 

The development of alternative and renewable energy sources is one solution for human-influenced climate change caused by the build up of greenhouse gases. While tactics such as carpooling, the greater use of public transportation, and buying vehicles that get better gas mileage are well intentioned, they're ultimately ineffective as they do not cut off our dependency on fossil fuels. I seriously doubt that we'll be using renewable sources in the near future as there is far too much money to still be made in the fossil fuel industry. While research is underway, I don't forsee any shift in energy technololgy until their resources start to become depleted.

 

Bob Knopp

 

I believe that change starts on a personal level with making simple changes in our everyday lives to reduce both waste and carbon emissions. Actions such as recycling, carpooling, using energy efficient appliances and just generally being conservative with using resources will help. As far as large scale reduction of green house gases, i think a carbon tax should be implemented to reduce the use of fossil fuels. If energy companies are motivated by profit then a tax on carbon emissions would provide incentive to develop technology that reduces pollution and/or develop renewable sources of energy that would bypass that tax all together. The tax would increase the price of fossil fuels, making renewable sources relatively cheaper. (Shaun Faries)

 

In order to cut down on the emission of green house gases I believe the most practical thing for the United States to do is to break away from our reliance on fossil fuels and to heavily invest on nuclear power. Nuclear power is more efficient and much more clean than fossil fuels, in the long run are cheaper, and as an added bonus we would no longer have to deal with OPEC or Hugo Chavez. The only reason why this option has not been more thoroughly explored is because of memories from 3 mile island and chernobyl. However the technology in used in creating and storing nuclear power has been signifigantly improved over the past 25 years and those fears are more or less unfounded.

-Stephen Diaz

 

I believe the only way to curb the effects of climate change involves a global effort. If nations can work together in limiting the emissions of greenhouse gasses, putting a stopper in pollution and the like then and only then will we notice a change. There are some good ideas being spread around in our society such as the increased distribution of hybrid cars and various recycling programs but it still seems to be on a smaller scale. A combined international effort in research will certainly produce more viable solutions. - Chris Bologna

 

 

The best way that America can have a positive impact on the environment and climate change is by creating a new energy plan.  This plan would apply to the entire nation.  The federal government would invest billions of dollars in research and development of alternative fuels.  Once alternative fuels were created and tested, the research would be shared with automobile manufacturers and power companies.  This would elliminate the cost of research and development for these companies, making the fuels and energy sources cheap to the public from their conception.  Time tables would have to be created in order to ensure that the alternative fuels hit the consumer market by a certain year.  This is the only way to ensure that fossil fuels will be be phased out and new renueable energy sources will be created.  This is a difficult task in todays America with the oil and energy lobby being extremely powerful.

-Chuck Routson

 

I believe that small changes everyday will make an impact on the solution of climate change. Although it seems that the hole is so deep and climate change will never be reversed, there seems to be some hope. If American's make each day count with their decisions, such as recycling, car pooling, turning off appliances and such, turning off the lights, taking shorter showers, replacing light bulbs with more efficient ones, buying effcient cars etc, climate change will definitely be affected in a positive way. The problem of climate change was created by people, and the solution rests in the hands of the people, simple as that. -Alicia Bates

 

One issue that is easy to say but hard to fix is that emissions need to be regulated on a global scale, China being one country on the top of the list. The problems with the business regulation in this country have run rampant which can be seen by so many issues with product recalls. Another problem with China's pollution is that the main energy resource they use is coal which is very damaging to the environment. If there is to be a noticeable change then countries must be able to unite to reach a common goal however the likelihood of this ever coming to fruition is sadly slim. - Julia Jordan

 

I believe that one way we can all redice the effects of green house gases is by Urging more people to grow more trees and reduce the defforestration effect that is going on, in the name of improving the infrastructure.Companies that are doing so should be strictly enforced to plant more or double the trees they cut down or face severe penalties.

-Martin Ndegwa