Transcript Why should we be concerned

Librarians & Environmental
Sustainability
CoALL/RMSLA Brown Bag 3/19/09
Presented by: David Selden
National Indian Law Library
Boulder, CO
"Treat the earth well. It
was not given to you
by your parents. It was
loaned to you by your
children."
Click on image
Temperature and carbon dioxide
change over the last 1000 years
Why should we be concerned?
 Scientific consensus says we must reduce
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by at
least 80% below 1990 levels by 2050
worldwide to avoid catastrophic climate
change.
Union of Concerned Scientists, Obama and other leaders and groups
Why should we be concerned?
 Water sources – Drought
- 500 million people rely on water from glaciers and
80% of all glaciers are expected to be gone by 2035
(UN IPCC, 2007)
- “Global warming threatens to melt the Andes
glaciers by 2030, jeopardizing already scarce water,
food and energy resources” (World Bank, 2009)
- Climate change could turn U.S. Southwest into a
dustbowl in the coming decades (Science, 2007)
Why should we be concerned?

Rise in sea level – "The consequences would be
catastrophic," said Jonathan Overpeck, director of the Institute
for the Study of Planet Earth at the University of Arizona in
Tucson. "Even with a small sea level rise, we're going to
destroy whole nations and their cultures that have existed for
thousands of years.”
Why should we be concerned?
The U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
estimated that “if global temperatures increase more than
two to three degrees F above current levels — which
seems quite possible, given current trends in carbon
emissions — up to one third of the species on Earth could
be at risk for extinction.”
Why should we be concerned?
Colorado species threatened - Pika
 Pikas have become a "canary in a
coal mine" indicator in the global
warming controversy
 Diminished snowpack leaves less
protective insulation during the
coldest winter conditions.
 The pikas' meadow foraging
habitat is shrinking as timberlines
move upslope due to rising
temperatures.
 Reductions in alpine permafrost
may lead to degradation and
eventual loss of habitat.
Source: Center for Biological Diversity
Why should we be
concerned ?
 World/National Security Threats
 "Weakened and failing governments, with an
already thin margin for survival, foster the conditions
for internal conflicts, extremism and movement
toward increased authoritarianism and radical
ideologies. The U.S. will be drawn more frequently
into these situations."
(U.S. National Intelligence report based on a UN IPCC report, 2007)
Why should we be concerned?
The tipping point
"Continued growth of greenhouse gas emissions, for just another
decade, practically eliminates the possibility of near-term return of
atmospheric composition beneath the tipping level for catastrophic
effects." - (James Hansen, NASA, 2008)
 Carbon sinks less effective – forests and oceans are losing
ability to absorb CO2
 Increase in forest fires - emit more CO2
 Increased melting of permafrost - emits methane gas (20X
more powerful than CO2)
 Increase in population
 “Peak oil” & energy independence
Major Sources of Greenhouse Gases
 Electricity – 1 KWH = 1.93 lbs
 Natural Gas – 1 Therm = 11.7 lbs
 Transportation
 Air Travel – 1.3 lbs of C02/mile/person
 Auto – 1 gallon gas = 19.6 lbs of C02
 Paper – 1 ton (405 reams) = 9.1 tons of C02
See:
NARF Carbon Footprint
2007 NARF/Boulder Energy Use & Carbon Footprint
(441.2 tons of CO2)
Paper
2.9 tons of paper
588,000 sheets
26.5 Tons of CO2
Waste
500 lbs recycle
1100 lbs of garbage
2.2 Tons of CO2
6% 0%
6%
Electricity
55,874 kWh
$5,009
53.9 Tons of CO2
Natural Gas
4431 therms
$3726
25.9 Tons of CO2
Air Travel
508,000 miles
332.7 Tons of CO2
12%
76%
NARF Carbon Footprint
kWh End-Use (NARF - 55,874 kWh, $5008)
6%
Heating
Office, Misc.
50%
41%
Air Conditioning
3%
Lighting
NILL Carbon Footprint
11 tons of C02
2007 NILL Building Energy Use
and Carbon Footprint
29.09%
70.91%
Electricity
3.2 tons of CO2
40,078 kWh
$4,702
Travel
7.8 tons of CO2
12,000 miles
What Has NARF Done?
 NARF recycling and composting program
 NARF/NILL energy audits
 NARF/NILL lighting – CFLs and general T8 fluorescent
retrofitting installed
 Reusable coffee/beverage mugs
 PC power management tools
 Education program – eco tips and meetings
 NARF kitchen water filter
 Office paper – 30% recycled content, draft printing (both sides)
 Green products purchased – food service, bathroom
 Reusable NARF shopping bags
U.S. Green Building Council LEED Certification
 LEED = Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design
 Buildings - 80% of energy used relates to general
operation and 20% to initial construction
 Buildings & the electricity used in them accounts for
½ of U.S. C02 emissions
Source: Pew Center on Global Climate Change
(2005)
What can Librarians do?
Conservation - Efficiency - Renewables
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Initiate or join a Green Office Committee
Energy conservation – electricity and gas
Efficient appliances and environmental friendly products/equipment (purchasing
policy)
Travel/fly less
Use less office paper
Consume less products
Purchase renewable energy to off-set greenhouse gases – How this works
Want to learn more? - attend (ride your bike, of course) AALL 2009 Annual Meeting
Program on Tuesday, 10:45 – “The 80/2050 Challenge: What You Can Do to Reduce Your
Organization's Impact on Climate Change.”
Measure your library’s or organizations carbon footprint by using this calculator.
What can Librarians do?
Local Program -
GreenerDenverBiz.org
What can Librarians do?
Local Program -
GreenprintDenver.org
What can Librarians do?
National Program – ABA-EPA Law Office Climate
Challenge
“The earth does not belong to
us. We belong to the earth…”