Bringing Copenhagen Home: Austin's Climate Urgency, pt. 1

Last week's UN summit on climate change, aka Copenhagen, opened with organizers warning diplomats from 192 nations -- this could be the last, best chance for a deal to protect the world from calamitous global warming. (1) Why?

photo: Mayor Wynn: Austin's only climate champion?

In 2007, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a globally appointed body of 2,000+ scientists, released its 4th assessment report on the science and likely outcomes of global warming. Their report made several key points: (2)

1. Warming of the climate system is unequivocal.
2. World temperatures could rise by btwn 2.0–11.5°F during the 21st century.
3. A rise of 5°F, relative to 1980-1999 temperatures, suggests a 40%–70% extinction of all species assessed by the IPCC.

Later that year, Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the IPCC, stated -- "If there's no action before 2012, that's too late. What we do in the next two or three years determines our future. This is our defining moment." (3)

That was 2007.

Mr. Pachauri was responding to worldwide criticism -- that his team of 2,000+ scientists were too soft in their analysis. Austin responded positively to what seemed to threaten not just humanity (in this century) but all biology. City Council unanimously approved Mayor Wynn's resolution for a world-leading "Austin Climate Protection Program" -- the centerpiece of which is, "to make Austin the leading city in the nation in the fight against climate change.” (4)

But two years later Austin still gets 1/3rd of its electricity from a coal plant that happens to be one of the worst polluters in the state (5), local leadership is reluctant to take full ownership of the urgency of this moment, and the community seems have forgotten about "our defining moment."

What can be done? Is the crisis real? How much time do we have to act?

Who should lead?

Please leave your comments below. Thank you.

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Local Actions You Can Take

> Urge Council to reclaim climate leadership:
http://tinyurl.com/austinclimateleadership

> Learn more via Facebook:
http://tinyurl.com/austindirtysecret

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Notes
> 1. 12/7/09, "UN Climate Conference opens with pressure on the US" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/07/AR200912...
> 2. IPCC 4th Assessment Report http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/publications_and_data_reports.h...
> 3. 11/11/07, Pachauri quoted from NYTimes article, “Alarming UN report on climate change too rosy, many say” -- http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/world/europe/18iht-climate.2.8378031.html
> 4. Austin Climate Protection Program, good summary of original doc -- http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A453480
> 5. According to Neil Carman, PhD, Clean Air Program Director for the Texas State Sierra Club, "The Fayette Coal Power Plant has consistently ranked among the largest sources of air pollution in Texas among more than 2,000 industrial plants surveyed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. For the five year period 2003-2007, (Austin's Coal Plant) ranked #8 in criteria air emissions averaging 87,941,704 lbs a year." Additionally, Fayette coal's CO2 emissions are considered 38th worst in the country (overall) and 5th worst in the state, according to Environment Texas. The National Research Council recently reported that particulate and ozone pollution from the plant cost area citizens $200 to $300M in health injury during the year 2005. The Texas State Department of Health reported in Jan. 2009 that due to power plant & industrial emissions and effluents, it was no longer safe to eat fish anywhere on the Texas coastline, and in general across the state... In the realm of greenhouse gas and unhealthy pollution, it's my opinion that a tipping point has been reached. Austin's coal plant is our #1 offender. Its pollution includes not just greenhouse gasses, but airborne particulate emissions and heavy toxic emissions, including heavy metals such as Mercury, Lead, Chromium VI, known to cause birth defects, cancer, kidney failure, and early death in humans, among other problems.

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