by Anna Rodriquez
When Hurricane Sandy battered the United States in 2012, a Business Week headline had no intention to mince words. It read: “It’s global warming, stupid.” It has become rather household to blame abnormal shifts in temperatures and sea levels for every catastrophe this millennium. Climate scientists also agree that there are scores of evidence to do so. And even at a time when the concept of green living has never been so big, experts agree that the bucket still ends with human beings who might still be taking it lightly.
The United Nations International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) releases a document on this topic every six years. With nearly a thousand researchers, scientists, and policy makers taking part in its creation, it is considered the benchmark of climate change debate. According to the IPCC report, there is almost zero doubt among climate scientists that the 30-year period spanning 1981 – 2010 was the warmest in the last eight centuries. They are also sure that there will be hotter days and nights ahead.
The report also highlights how the temperature is warming up at an alarming rate. It said that average temperatures are now 0.6 degrees Celsius (1 degree Fahrenheit) hotter because of unprecedented carbon pollution, which is the worst in the last 20,000 years. If things are not going to change, temperatures will rise by as much as 3.7 degrees Celsius or 6.6 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100.
The UN panel is sure that this spike in temperature and precipitation has everything to do with extreme weather conditions experienced all over the world. Among these events are the 2012 heat wave in the United States, winter drought in Spain, and heavy flooding in Europe. In fact, the journal Nature released a report also in 2012 stating that what was previously classified as the “storm of the century” may now be known as the “storms of a decade or less” because of the increased frequency of hurricane visits as climate changes.
Humans are to blame
In this comprehensive report, the UN ended years of debates on whether human beings are to be blamed for climate change. The answer: a resounding yes.
The report shows that scientists are 95 percent sure, the surest they have ever been, that human activity has caused at least half of the changes in climate since the 1950s. These include driving cars, using electricity from coal-powered power plants, burning carbon-based fuels and emitting greenhouse gases. It seems like advances in technology has taken the environment’s immortality.
Today, people are making up for the damage. Notice that campaigns for environmental awareness and green living have never been this aggressive. However, the report claims that even if we decide to end carbon and greenhouse emissions now, the effects would still persist for hundreds or even thousands of years. And worse, some changes can no longer be reversed. The report calls this a “multi-century commitment created by human activities today.”
What we can do
For the sake of future generations and our children’s children, there is no better time to start a few changes than today. We can start by improving our homes and making them “greener.” According to United Nations Environment Programme, nearly 40 percent of carbon and greenhouse emissions may be attributed to the design, construction, and operations of a building such as houses. A National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) study also found that the construction of a conventional 2,000-square-foot home results in 8,000 pounds of waste.
So the next time you design or decide to improve your home, make sure to follow an environmentally-conscious plan and use energy-efficient materials. Green home improvements will make your home more sustainable, consume minimal energy, and produce less waste.
A report by Southface Energy Institute laid down the criteria for an energy-efficient home. Use simple exterior walls with few corners because they require fewer construction materials. When you determine the size of the equipment you will be using or installing, make sure that you also calculate its operating costs. Same goes with checking appliance energy use. Remember that the true cost of an appliance is the purchase price plus the cost for energy.
Make your windows bigger to let more light in. Place roof overhangs properly to provide an energy-saving shade. Use products that use solar energy like lights and panels. Insulate your home and keep it either warm or cool, depending on the season. As you do this, make sure to seal all penetrations.
Check the ventilation system and make sure it is controlled. This will allow cleaner air to flow indoors. According to the data released by the US Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air pollution can be 2-5 times worse than outdoor air quality.
Don’t forget water efficiency, too. Drip irrigation and leaks result in too much waste-water. For example, toilet leaking can waste up to 90 gallons of water a day. There are water-saving shower heads and low-flush toilets that can help conserve water.
The Southface report claims that low income families in the United States spend 15 percent of their income on energy and operation costs alone. It also states that while a green architectural design may cost more initially, they improve building durability, sustainability and increases energy savings by as much as $400 a year. A separate study by the Californian Sustainable Building Task Force also stated that 20 percent of investment into a green building will result in 10 times more savings. So the next time you add green innovations into your home, remember that you are doing it for the long haul.