Engaging in local politics really can make a difference! That was proven on the evening of August 11th, when the Manlius Town Board voted 4-3 against imposing a six-month moratorium on commercial solar development within the town. It was a tough decision for the Councilors and Supervisor, wavering back and forth for several weeks, but ultimately a majority of them decided that they had enough information to manage solar development applications and that the existing town code was sufficient. In addition, Joseph Lupia, Chair of the Town of Manlius Planning Board, indicated that he no longer believed the moratorium was needed, agreeing that the science pointing to the need for solar energy was indisputable and many arguments against solar rested on unfounded claims.
It is very unlikely that events would have unfolded this way, were it not for the rousing organizational efforts of CCAA, FM Youth for Climate Justice, Sustainable Manlius and others. Working hard in the weeks leading up to the public hearing on July 28th, these groups came together to get the word out to community residents, campaigned on the dangers of the climate crisis affecting us all, and contested some of the misinformation that was circulating among opponents of the proposed local solar projects. A Cabaret for the Environment, bringing together music, supportive organizations and heartfelt speeches motivated and inspired the effort.
Immediately before the public hearing, FM Youth for Climate Justice, led by Elena Pacheco, rallied a crowd of about forty people with various chants: “No more coal, no more oil. Leave the carbon in the soil!” And once the Town Hall doors opened, people flooded in, overflowing the main hall and filling a second room. CCAA had organized about twenty people to speak in favor of the local solar projects, but even more did so as the hearing progressed into the evening. CCAA also delivered a petition, signed by well over 350 town residents.
It was largely because of this groundswell of support, asking the Town of Manlius to lead in the fight against climate change, that the Councilors were empowered to so diligently debate the moratorium and ultimately decide that no delays were needed. Now the applications can continue to move forwards through the long process towards approval, and the residents of this town can be very proud indeed of the progress they are directly involved in making to fight the climate crisis.
Bottled vs. Tap Water
By Jacob Stewart
Bottled water is a common commodity that nearly everyone uses or sees on a daily basis, especially here in the United States. The United States is one of the largest consumers of bottled water in the world, purchasing 9.1 billion gallons in 2011 alone. Now is bottled water really that bad? After all, aren’t plastic bottles recyclable? While it’s true that nearly all plastic water bottles are recyclable, only 27% of those plastic bottles are actually recycled. The rest is burned, discarded in the environment, or ends up in landfills. This may not come as a surprise though, as many are aware of the impact plastic water bottles have on the plastic pollution problem that the world is experiencing.
However, what many people don’t realize is that plastic water bottles also contribute to the greenhouse gas emission crisis plaguing our planet. The total carbon footprint for one average sized 500 ml plastic water bottle is 828 grams of carbon dioxide. This can be even higher for companies that ship overseas, such as the popular “FIJI Water”. When a nation like the United States is purchasing 9.1 billion gallons of bottled water in one year, the overall carbon footprint for all water bottles adds up. It is not just the transportation of the water that gives it such a high carbon footprint either. It is also in part due to the energy required to produce them. Combined, producing and shipping bottled water takes 2,000 times the amount of energy when compared to the same volume of tap water. Given that Americans consume roughly 1,500 plastic water bottles per second on average, an incredible amount of energy could be saved were people to turn to the faucet instead.
But isn’t bottled water healthier than tap water? The answer is actually no. Both tap water and bottled water need to adhere to the same water quality standards set by the EPA and FDA, making the differences between them minimal. Cristina Villanueva, the lead author of a recent study into bottled water concludes the trust of purity placed in bottled water by the average person to be due to effective advertising by companies. Villanueva and her co-authors believe that the best way to combat bottled water use is to use similar advertising for tap water to instill trust that the quality of it is on par with that of bottled water counterparts. Hopefully this article will help spread this awareness as well. Reducing bottled water use is a great way to reduce one’s carbon footprint, and the best way to do that is to switch to tap water. The difference between the two is incredibly slim, and if you’re truly worried about contamination, a household filter will solve the issue no problem. Additionally, bottled water can cost up to 500 times as much as the same volume of tap water, making tap water the obvious choice for those looking to save money. So next time you find yourself gravitating towards a plastic water bottle, stop for a second and consider if you could take the time to get your water from the tap instead.
IPCC Report: “Code Red for Humanity”
By Jacob Stewart
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, has recently come out with a new report: the first large-scale review of climate change science since 2013. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has labeled this report as a “code red for humanity.” The report predicts an increase in extreme heat waves, droughts, flooding, and the Paris Agreement’s global average temperature increase limit since pre-industrial times of 1.5°C being exceeded in just a decade’s time.
There is no doubt anymore that human activity has impacted our climate in a negative way. The graphic above, pulled from the recent IPCC report, shows just how accurate scientists’ previous predictions were. The graph depicts the observed average global temperature since 1850 alongside computer simulated predictions for the average global temperature over the same time period. The purple line shows what computer simulations predicted the global temperature would reach with current human activity. As you can see, the red line representing the actual average global temperature that has been recorded throughout the years, lines up near perfectly with the simulated predictions. Professor Ed Hawkins, one of the authors of the new report, was quoted saying “It is a statement of fact, we cannot be any more certain; it is unequivocal and indisputable that humans are warming the planet.”
The IPCC report contained a number of worrisome key points to further support Professor Ed Hawkins’s comment. The first is that average global surface temperature was 1.09°C higher between 2011 and 2020 than during the fifty year period between 1850 to 1900. The past five years have also been the hottest on record since the year 1850, and the recent rate of sea level rise has almost tripled since the period between 1901 and 1971. The report determined that human influence is 90% the main cause of the retreat of glaciers and the depletion of Arctic sea-ice since 1990. It also found that it is nearly certain that hot extremes, consisting of events such as heatwaves, have become more frequent and intense since 1950 while cold events have become less frequent and intense.
The Paris Climate Agreement, originally created in 2015 to keep the global average temperature below 1.5°C since pre-industrial time, is now on track to fail. This new report states that unless huge cuts in carbon emissions take place immediately, the target of 1.5°C and even potentially 2°C will be broken within this century. Current predictions show that the 1.5°C target will be broken by 2040 in every scenario, and could happen sooner if emissions aren’t controlled within the next few years.
However hope is not completely lost. Scientists still predict that rising temperatures could be stabilized so long as drastic measures are taken to reduce greenhouse emissions soon. This report comes at the perfect time to remind world leaders about the threat of climate change before the November COP26 Global Climate Summit this year. Hopefully this new report will have a great enough impact to push world leaders into taking proper action to combat climate change, because there is still time to minimize further climate disaster so long as the world works together to do it.
Climate Change Awareness & Action holds its monthly meetings on the second Tuesday of every month. If you’d like to learn more, contact us at cc.awareness.action@gmail.com.
For a comprehensive list of events pertaining to sustainability and climate change, contact Diane Brandli at dbdesigninteriors@verizon.net to subscribe to the GreeningUSA listserve or to publicize an event you are organizing.
Check out the Sierrah Club Atlantic Chapter: Central-Northern New York Group at https://www.sierraclub.org/atlantic/cnny for environment-related news, events and programs.
July 2021 was the Warmest July on Record for the Globe
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been keeping records since 1880. In all of those 142 years, there has never been a hotter July than the one this year, when looking at average global temperature. But just in case you thought climate change was simple, Antarctica had 2.6% more sea ice than average in July.
73% of People Believe Earth Approaching Tipping Points
Partnering with IPSOS Mori, the Global Commons Alliance interviewed people from all G20 countries to understand how concerned they were about climate change. 58% are extremely or very worried about the state of the global commons (our shared Earth), and 59% believe that a very rapid energy transition is needed in the next decade. Encouragingly, 83% are willing to do more to work to become better “planetary stewards.”
Robotic Floats Provide New Look at Ocean Health and Global Carbon Cycle
In the world’s oceans, microscopic phytoplankton photosynthesize, turning CO2 into oxygen and organic matter, just as plants do on land. This process, known as primary productivity, is how the oceans absorb carbon from the atmosphere. Computer models have predicted that primary productivity will decrease as oceans warm, but now scientists from MBARI are able to verify it, using a fleet of robotic floats to gather data around the globe.
CCAA Member Spotlight
By Annalena Davis
Annalena Davis moved to the Syracuse area twelve years ago with her husband. She has two children, who are six and three, and it is for them that she was motivated to becoming a more active environmentalist. Thinking about their futures made her realize that we cannot rely on world leaders to give future generations a cleaner and more livable future. We all need to take action ourselves.
Annalena is a Web Developer at Syracuse University, so when she joined CCAA two years ago she volunteered to update their website, and has been an active member of the group ever since. Over the years, she has taken many steps to reduce her own family’s carbon footprint, so when she joined CCAA she took the lead in creating the CNY Carbon Challenge to help others do the same. This activity first guides people to measure their climate impact, then through six themed missions, provides clear options for reducing their carbon footprint.
Annalena and her husband insulated their old home in Syracuse ten years ago, and more recently insulated their small 100-year old house in Fayetteville. When she calculated their carbon footprint she discovered that heating their home was the biggest contributor, and by switching to electric and renewable energy for heat, they would emit six fewer tons of carbon each year. This prompted them to install an electric heat pump last year, so now the only thing that still uses natural gas is their water heater. And as a bonus, they could both heat and cool their home with the deceivingly-named heat pump. They researched adding solar panels to their roof, but since their house is not a good fit for solar, they have decided to subscribe to community solar instead. In the meantime, they’ve been paying for renewable wind energy from a national company for the last six years. As they live on the Erie Canal trail, they bike to work when possible, even though their two cars are electric and hybrid.
Each year, Annalena’s household also buys carbon offset credits to balance their family’s carbon footprint, and more recently has been buying hundreds of tons of offset credits to make a bigger impact as the climate crisis worsens. “We are each only one person and can only do so much for a global crisis like this,” says Annalena. But despite this, she recognizes that we can each do something, and collective action combines to make a big difference. Annalena strongly believes that calculating your personal carbon footprint can be enlightening and helps you understand what changes will have the biggest impact. “You can take the CNY Carbon Challenge yourself,” she urges, “to learn how you can make an impact too.”
If you are interested in volunteering with CCAA, please contact us at cc.awareness.action@gmail.com or call 315-308-0846. Don’t worry about your skill level. We are all learning.
We need people who can:
Post to our social media pages
Update our website using WordPress
Help with our newsletter
Organize events
Work on legislative campaigns
Create email campaigns
And lots more!
Newsletter Committee
Chief Correspondent: Jacob Stewart
Publishing and Design: Yvonne Chu, Annalena Davis
Editor: Gavin Landless
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