A Guide to Understanding & Reducing Global Warming

    WASHINGTON, April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Island Press -- Many speculate that
 recent extreme weather patterns are due to global warming and the increase of
 carbon dioxide in the air.  In his new book, Hayes quotes a report by the
 International Federation of Red Cross Societies:
     "Extreme weather events have become more common.  Unprecedented hurricane
 damage, winter floods, and summer droughts are wreaking serious havoc.  More
 such disasters are expected, according to a report by the International
 Federation of Red Cross Societies."
     "Unless we swiftly undertake several bold initiatives, global CO2 levels
 are likely to triple or even quadruple those from preindustrial times," says
 Hayes.  "The Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at Princeton University
 recently modeled as best it could, a scenario in which CO2 quadruples.  It
 concluded, among other things, that soil moisture could drop by 50 percent or
 more, wiping out much of agriculture in the Northern Hemisphere.  The forces
 of nature that we have sought to master -- wild rivers, tropical storms,
 gale-force winds, extremes of heat -- would all increase in intensity."
     Denis Hayes was national coordinator for the first Earth Day in 1970, and
 he is the chair of Earth Day Network, the organization coordinating Earth Day
 2000 events worldwide.  He was formerly the director of the world's largest
 solar energy laboratory, a professor of engineering at Stanford University,
 and a visiting scholar at the Smithsonian Institution.
     Although many of our environmental problems and challenges seem daunting,
 there are numerous things, big and small, that each of us can do to make
 conditions better on planet Earth.  THE OFFICIAL EARTH DAY GUIDE TO PLANET
 REPAIR lists dozens of suggestions, from commonsense basics to new
 technologies, resource centers, organizations and web sites now available to
 the public.  An added bonus is that all of the suggested changes will save you
 money in the process.  The following are a few examples:
 
     * Log onto http://www.HomeEnergySaver.lbl.gov and calculate how much
       you're spending on energy and get suggested changes.
 
     * Recycle more!  Each recycled beer can saves enough electricity to run a
       television set for three hours.
 
     * Replace your energy-guzzling furnace, refrigerator, washing machine, and
       oven with newer, much more efficient models.  A government program
       called Energy Star gives suggestions at http://www.energystar.gov or by
       calling 1-888-STAR-YES.
 
     * Use compact fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent lamps.
 
     * Invest in ultra-efficient Superwindows.
 
     * Sign the Clean Energy Agenda, and petition Detroit for greener cars.
 
     * Boycott companies that support the Global Climate Coalition.
 
     * Seriously consider buying a solar water heater.  Florida Solar Energy
       has excellent pamphlets and information to help you decide.  The web
       site is http://www.fsec.ucf.edu and the telephone number is
       407-783-0300.
 
     * Plant shade trees around your house, reducing your air conditioning
       bill.  For each degree Fahrenheit you raise your thermostat in the
       summer you cut roughly 5% off your energy use.
 
     * Buy a hybrid electric/combustion engine car, like the Toyota Prius, for
       your next vehicle.  If everyone owned the most efficient car in the same
       size category as their current vehicle, the US would save 1.47 billion
       gallons of gasoline a year.
 
     "What I set out to do with this book is to offer people a practical,
 readable how-to guide for cleaning and beautifying our planet," Hayes says.
 "What I wound up with is a manifesto for environmental activism that anyone,
 anywhere, can subscribe to.  If each of us starts paying attention to the
 environmental impacts of our choices -- as consumers and as citizens and
 voters -- we can change the world.  In fact, that's the only way we can change
 the world."
     "I want to show Americans that there are hundreds of things they can do,
 easily and economically, to improve the living conditions of every living
 thing on this planet," says Denis Hayes.
     All royalties from the sale of THE OFFICIAL EARTH DAY GUIDE TO PLANET
 REPAIR will be donated to an endowment for Earth Day to ensure that the
 education and celebrations will continue throughout the years.  THE OFFICIAL
 EARTH DAY GUIDE TO PLANET REPAIR is available from Island Press for $11.95 by
 visiting http://www.islandpress.org or calling 1-800-828-1302.
 
     For more information, contact CHC at 505-474-6783 or Robbie Kaplan at
 202-232-7933.
 
 

SOURCE  Island Press