simple + green

The Environmental Defense Fund has created a very informative list of figures and numbers related to global warming. Here is the writeup, and the facts:

“Global warming is the most serious environmental threat of our time. As these facts show, affordable options are available. And America cannot afford to fall behind any more in the race to invent clean, renewable energy sources. This year, our annual list of global warming facts and figures shows how global warming action could unleash a clean energy revolution and strengthen our economy.”

45%
Increase in world’s solar generating capacity in 2005.

2
Rank of China as global producer of solar cells, behind Japan (U.S. ranks 4th).

$1.5 billion
Amount US government spends a year on renewable energy research.

$1 billion
Amount ExxonMobil earns in a day.

$2 billion
Amount GE Energy Financial Services invested in wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy in 2007.

$200 billion
Amount China has committed to invest in renewable energy sources over the next 15 years.

0.74%
Projected cost of smart cap-and-trade climate policy on US economic output in 2030.

100%
Projected growth of the US economy by 2030.

53
Number of senators supporting cap and trade legislation. (Cap and trade is a program that regulates the particulates and sulfur dioxide that create conventional air pollution, not the nine greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide that cause global warming — governs power plants nationwide and is generally viewed as successful.)

0
Number of bills passed by Congress to cap and reduce America’s global warming pollution.

(Sources: World Watch Institute, Earth Policy Institute, Department of Energy, CNN, GE Energy Financial Services, Reuters, Upcoming Report: Climate Policy and the U.S. Economy. Environmental Defense, 2008)

While there are positives, the hard part about reading this is feeling discouraged. Don’t get me wrong: stark numbers like this need to be out there, and more people need to know them.

The risk is creating an “oh well” syndrome. It is easy to feel overwhelmed when it becomes clear that not. I know I do.

Due to his birthday this week, I’m reminded of a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. He said: “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase”.

Overall, what do these facts do to spur you to action? For me, it is a reminder to act every day in some way.

My own questions: can we do solar? Can we install a home wind turbine system? What can I do to reduce energy usage? What can I do to minimize our carbon footprint?

Each day, one new step. And knowing with hope that these small changes add up to a larger, better gain.