Global climate change is an increasingly important issue that will only get worse if no changes are made to curb energy consumption and carbon output, panelists said Thursday at the first UH Climate Challenge event.
In the 19th century, the English were worried about another ice age, but today the world is worried about global warming and rising sea levels, Houston Advanced Research Center President Robert Harris said.
Climate Change 2007, a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, states "warming is unequivocal, and most of the warming of the past 50 years is very likely due to increases in greenhouse gases."
Some of the dangers polar bears face today might be a symptom of the challenges other regions will experience in the future, Harris said. He also said what happens in the future depends on what is done today.
"We can see that what matters to us is not global warming, it goes beyond global warming," Harris said. "What we care about, those of us who reside in Houston, Texas, is what happens where we live. … We expect that you are going to see, especially here in Houston, linkages to things like air quality, urban heat waves, circulation of atmosphere… there are a lot of things we still have to learn."
The world can either adapt to the effects of climate change or mitigate carbon emissions, said Ron Sass, professor emeritus of natural sciences at Rice University.
"Adaptation means ‘Well, we’ll just let business go on as usual and we’ll suffer the best we can or the worst we can,’" Sass said.
He said the worst may include up to three times as many days in Houston with temperatures higher than 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sass said cutting emissions would cost $100 billion to $300 billion per year, but the material cost of the consequences of adaptation would be around $350 billion to $550 billion every year by 2050.
"Mitigation requires that you pay now, that you change your lifestyle now, that you do something about it now," Sass said. "Adaptation says put it off until the future and let somebody else worry about it, which, as human beings, we tend to do." Sass said.
If the world cut its carbon emissions today the average temperature would likely increase by one degree Celsius, which would still change the climate of the world, Sass said.
The City of Houston, with the help of the Clinton Climate Initiative, is taking steps to reduce carbon emissions and engergy consumption, Karl Pepple, the city’s Environmental Programming director, said.
Pepple said Houston is moving to replace all of the incandescent lightbulbs in the 2,100 traffic signals with bulbs that use 90 percent less electricity and require less maintenance within the next 18 months. He said 300 bulbs have already been replaced.
He also said the city is trying to come up with an initiative to get recycling bins for apartment complexes in Houston. Until then, he said residents can contact Abitibi-Consolidated.
Abitibi-Consolidated is a company that delivers recycling bins to schools, apartment complexes and other locations upon request and verification of the need for a bin, Sylvain-Yves Longval, vice president of Abitibi’s recycling division, said.
Houston also recently purchased 40 hybrid diesel metro buses that get 30 to 40 percent better mileage than the old buses, Pepple said.
UH assistant professor of atmospheric science Barry Lefer said people who don’t believe in global warming will benefit from environmental-friendly changes.
"Even if you don’t believe in climate change, all the things we do to reduce global warming will increase air quality. It’s just your own health," Lefer said.
