Tag: Environment

Comparing Beijing and Greenville

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In my last post, I interviewed a fellow Furman student about cross-border pollution coming from China.  China’s cross-border pollution is certainly distressing, yet it is hardly indicative of how distressed the people and land of China are because of the extreme pollution. To illustrate just how devastated China’s environment is (because it can be hard to believe), I thought it should be compared to something more familiar:  Greenville, SC’s environment.

       
From left, scenes of the downtown Greenville, SC environment. On right, scenes of the environment in China.
From left, scenes of the downtown Greenville, SC environment. On right, scenes of the environment in China.

 

It is difficult to quantitatively make an accurate comparison between the entire country of China and the proportionately small city of Greenville, SC.  So, for the purposes of this post I will compare Beijing, China and Greenville, SC.  Beijing is still much larger in terms of square mileage and population.  However, the World Health Organization guideline for safe particulate matter is around the level of 25 μg/m³.

 

“Yearly mean density of respirable particles in Chinese megacities such as Beijing and Shanghai often approach or are greater than 100 μg/m³. . .and four times the WHO guideline.” This means that the people of Beijing are inhaling a large amount of particulate matter covered in toxins that is a danger to their health.  Meanwhile, Greenville’s average particulate matter is between 12.2-12.6 μg/m³, which is below the guideline for safe particulate matter.

 

Particulate matter is dangerous to human health, especially in heavily polluted areas, because it can be small enough to be easily inhaled into the lungs.  When dangerous toxins become attached to the particles and are subsequently inhaled, health problems ranging from cancer to birth defects can occur just from outdoor air pollution alone.

 

In part 1 of my interview with Furman professor and head of Asian Studies, Dr. Kate Kaup, she shared her experience with China’s environment. Click to listen.  Click here to listen.  For part 2 of Dr. Kaup’s interview, click here.

 

For more photos and a closer look at the environments of Greenville and Beijing, click here.

 

Photo source:

US-China Yin and Yang

Getting A "Green" Start

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Furman University has become a landmark for sustainability on a college campus
Furman University has become a landmark for sustainability on a college campus

In today’s day and age, the more we are educated on a topic, the better prepared we are to cope and adapt to that same topic in real world situations. Nothing adheres more to this train of thought than environmental issues. The Earth’s climate is an intricate and complex system that is constantly changing as time goes on. It is difficult to forecast the local weather more than ten days in advance, let alone outline the planet’s climate for the next thousand years. If we as a population are to be committed to changing our lifestyles to be more “green” and sustainable, a better understanding of environmental processes is crucial.

At Furman University, sustainability and environmental awareness has become one of the pillars of the liberal arts education offered. “Sustainability is defined as meeting humanity’s present needs while enriching the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” The reason behind this drive for increased awareness is the need that we as a society have for more informed leaders. In constructing and implementing policy, both domestic and foreign, a solid foundation of fact and understanding must be utilized so that the policy is effective and efficient.

To form an opinion on the issues surrounding the environment and climate change, you must first know the issue at hand. Without facts, without real life examples, and without education from differing viewpoints, it is difficult, if not impossible to take a stance and go about implementing what you see as the appropriate course of action.

As this blog has progressed, we have discussed the  numerous policies passed and agreements made that are associated with the environment. But why? No matter what side of the debate you find yourself, keeping updated and informed on these environmental issues allows you to form well founded thought processes and make well informed decisions.

Furman Sustainability

Photos of Sustainability at Furman University

Testing Furman Students' "Green" Knowledge

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How do Furman students feel about environmental policy?
How do Furman students feel about environmental policy?

There are a lot of changes going on in the United States and in Europe regarding environmental policy.  Even so, I think that it will be up to my generation to make a lot of the decisions regarding this issue.  Because of this, I wanted to see how college seniors, about to enter into the real world, felt about environmental policy and how they would be willing to change in order lower there environmental impact.

I talked with Susanna Guffey and Allie Pinkerton about these issues.  Both discussed learning experiences through Furman and how they helped them better understand the depth of environmental policy.  For Susanna, it was through interning with a member of the European Parliament in Brussels during a Furman study abroad trip.  For Allie, it is through an environmental sociology class.

I believe that education is going to be a part of how the United States deals with environmental issues.  The experiences of these two students show that learning opportunities about what we are doing, and what other parts of the world, including Europe are doing, will help to push more environmental policy.  This is the only way that we can “catch up to Europe,” as Allie said.

I also spoke with them about what they would be willing to do to help reduce our country’s environmental impact.  They said

  • Unplug cords
  • Use energy efficient light bulbs
  • Buy Energy Star products

To listen to more of what they had to say on environmental policy, check out this podcast:

student interviews

Also check out photos about what we discussed.

Overall, based on the students I talked with, Furman students have good “green” knowledge based on what Furman is teaching students about living a more sustainable lifestyle.

Photo Sources:

Furman, Parliament, Eco House

HOMESTAR program to encourage more "green" homes in US

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Installing energy efficient products such as windows, lighting, water heaters, and other Energy Star products could be covered by the HOMESTAR program.
Installing energy efficient products such as windows, lighting, water heaters, and other Energy Star products could be covered by the HOMESTAR program.

In my last few blogs, I have shared with you the ins and outs of the Copenhagen Summit, and what the changes might mean for Europeans and Americans.  Now, President Obama has unveiled a new way to encourage Americans to make their homes more “green” while helping to put Americans back to work.

At the beginning of this month, Obama was in Savannah, Georgia to discuss a new program, called the HOMESTAR program.  HOMESTAR would give rebates to consumers who made changes to their homes to make them more energy efficient.  Here is what the program would do:

  • Give rebates directly to the consumers in two tiers
  • Tier 1: Silver Star Rebates of $1000-$1500 for projects such as insulation, duct sealing, water heaters, HVAC units, windows, roofing and doors
  • Tier 2: Gold Star Rebates of up to $3000 for performing a “home energy audit” and then making necessary improvements to reduce energy use by 20%
  • provide financing options for repairs

This program would offer new jobs for contractors, small businesses, and construction companies.  Plus, some of the energy efficient housing parts, such as windows, are manufactured here in the US.

The Obama Administration hopes that this program will be as successful as last year’s Cash For Clunkers— another program that gave money for living a more sustainable lifestyle.  Like HOMESTAR, the Cash For Clunkers program also helped to stimulate the economy by encouraging Americans to buy a car with a better fuel efficiency.

If you are interested in learning more about the HOMESTAR program, check out the White House Webpage.

Sources:

White House Blog, WYFF

Photo Sources:

Water Heater, Energy Star logo

Climate Change Policy Has Roadblocks in Washington

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Clinton COP15


As the Copenhagen Summit drew to a close, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a surprising announcement: the United States would raise $100 billon in annual aid for developing countries by 2020, and in return they “open their carbon-accounting book.” There was only one problem with this plan– Congress had not signed off on this promise.  The U.S. needs the support of Congress for policy to be put in place to see the pledge through, and Clinton’s remarks were immediately met with opposition back in D.C.  Now you may be wondering (along with your Congressmen) who will pay this $100 billion.  Here is where this money could come from:

  • Offset projects– projects, such as planting trees, that help to reduce carbon in the atmosphere
    • In a cap and trade program, offsets could help companies meet emissions requirements
    • The European Union already uses such a system
  • Some taxes

This week, talks of the 2011 budget were abuzz at Capitol Hill.  Among those discussions was environmental policy.  Some of the things Obama is calling for in his budget are:

  • Money for renewable energy research– solar, wind, and geothermal
  • Expanding nuclear power
  • Make cuts in tax breaks for large fossil fuel companies

Environmental policy is something that Americans will be hearing about more and more as our administration, along with leaders from around the world, work to improve our world.

A Review of the Copenhagen Summit

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I want to start this blog with a review of the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference, or known commonly as the Copenhagen Summit.  This summit is significant to the topic of U.S. foreign policy in regards to the environment and climate change, because it is the latest attempt to bring many nations together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Here is a some fast facts about the Summit:

  • Leaders from 193 nations around the world met in December 2009
  • Individual nations made commitments to lower their own impact global warming
  • Did not make a binding international treaty to lower environmental impact– failing to meet a goal of reaching such an agreement by 2010
  • Failed to name strict goals for lowering greenhouse gas emissions
  • Obama said that of the Summit: “We’ve come a long way but we have much further to go.”
  • EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the agreements fell “far short of our expectations”

Here is a slideshow of images from the Summit.

This information should be helpful as we continue to look at the relationship between the U.S. and the European Union in regards to climate change.

Source:

New York Times with Google

Photos:

Poster; World Leaders; Plenary; Obama; Prince Charles; Sarkozy; Protests; Comic