Pa. among nation’s worst carbon emitters

‘ ‘ A speaker from one of Pennsylvania’s largest environmental advocacy groups said that… ‘ ‘ A speaker from one of Pennsylvania’s largest environmental advocacy groups said that Pittsburgh’s and Western Pennsylvania’s climate could climb to match Kentucky’s climate in the next 60 years, even in the best-case scenario. ‘We’re screwed even if we lower emissions,’ said group coordinator Sharon Pillar, of PennFuture, an environmental advocacy group. Pillar discussed Pennsylvania’s impact on global warming with members of the student group Free the Planet yesterday at one of 13 events for Focus the Nation, a nationwide campaign with 1,000 participating campuses, including Pitt and Carnegie Mellon. Free the Planet hosted presentations in the Cathedral of Learning with free admission. The worst-case scenario, which assumes that emissions levels stay the same, would mean that Western Pennsylvania’s climate will be as warm as Alabama’s in 2070, said Pillar in the Pennsylvania Climate Action Plan presentation. The Union of Concerned Scientists conducted the study that provided these statistics. By 2070 Pittsburgh will see at least 30 days a year with temperatures more than 90 degrees, and if state emissions remain the same, the city will experience more than 60 90-degree days. Pennsylvania is the third-largest contributor to greenhouse gases in the country ‘mdash; California is the first, Texas second ‘mdash; and emits 1 percent of the world’s total emissions while accounting for a small fraction of the global population. ‘Pennsylvania’s $4 billion agriculture industry will also suffer and already has,’ said Pillar. In 2005, Pennsylvania dairy farmers lost $44 million when extreme summer temperatures affected cow milk production. Pillar said that PennFuture and other environmental groups have to act fast, given the environmental nightmare of the last eight years. ‘We don’t have time, because the Bush Administration dragged their feet [on climate change] and Pennsylvania legislature has been lagging,’ she said. ‘But every crisis poses an opportunity for solution, and the cleanest kilowatt is one that is never used.’ Pillar and the attending students discussed PennFuture’s immediate legislative goals: funding and prioritizing energy efficiency, public transportation, stopping suburban sprawl, and promoting city and town development. PennFuture is also calling for a 25 and 80 percent emissions reduction by 2025 and 2050, respectively, in the state. Students praised these goals, but Pillar was reluctant to express confidence. She said the group has decided to compromise with energy industries in an effort to enact climate change legislation. This includes agreeing to research carbon sequestration, transportation and disposal or storage of carbon dioxide, a technology still in its infancy but strongly supported by coal and mining companies like Consol Energy Inc. An accomplishment Pillar noted was the passage of the Pennsylvania Climate Change Act in mid-2008. Though it does not call for any specific targets for emissions reductions, it will provide $650 million in much-needed funding for research and development in renewable energy, including $180 million for solar and $25 million for geothermal and wind technology, said Pillar. Pitt junior Weenta Girmay, a member of Free the Planet and head coordinator for Focus the Nation, personally recommended the presentation ‘The Story of Stuff’ ‘mdash; a screening of a 20-minute documentary that deals with U.S. devotion to, and economic dependence on, material consumption ‘mdash; and a discussion with environmental studies Professor Ward Allebach. Girmay said that students should have had no qualms about skipping class for Focus the Nation, quoting Mark Twain: ‘I have never let my schooling get in the way of my education.’ ‘Focus the Nation is centered on discussing climate change, from every viewpoint possible and every discipline possible, because really, it’s something that everyone should be learning about,’ said Girmay. ‘Our environment affects and is affected by everyone.’ Sophomore Lucy Matz said she saw the importance of environmental education, and, citing the fact that the average person in the United States creates more than four pounds of trash a day, said she often faces resistance when encouraging her friends to recycle. Discussing ‘The Story of Stuff’ with Allebach and other students at the presentation, Matz said, ‘I wish people could be more exposed to the environmental impact of our consumption.’