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January 2008 Prepared by Audubon and NWF Staff: Judy Braus, Audubon Kevin J. Coyle, J.D., NWF Laura S. Hickey, NWF Julia Levin, Audubon Dianna Parker, Audubon Jaclyn Zubrzycki, Audubon Mary Ford, Audubon Craig Tufts, NWF National Audubon Society 2008 © Note to presenters: Feel free to include a slide with your name and contact information to go along with your introduction and opening comments. You can also include that information at the end. Slide: Global Warming: Science, Solutions, Action TALKING POINTS: This slide is an introduction to the presentation on global warming: it provides some scientific background, but focuses on solutions and action. Note: National Audubon prefers the term “global warming” to “climate change” because it helps people visualize more clearly that there is a problem that is caused by people’s actions and that the Earth’s temperatures are rising. Climate change refers to the same concept, but it sounds more longterm and natural (climate change has been occurring since the dawn of time) and audiences often don’t feel that it’s a negative thing. • Identify yourself and explain why the subject of global warming is important to you in a personal way. • Identify your connection to your audience (the birding community, wildlife enthusiasts, general conservationists, activists, etc.), and why you think they should hear this message. Slide: Why Audubon 1 TALKING POINTS: Audubon believes that global warming is the single greatest threat to biodiversity. There is no question that global warming is happening and that human actions are a primary cause. Audubon is adding its voice to the growing chorus of individuals and organizations calling for action on global warming. Illustration source: Bob Martinka Slide: Why Audubon 2 TALKING POINTS: Audubon is uniquely positioned to make a difference because of our extensive network of Chapters, online activists, and Centers across the country. Illustration source: Bob Martinka Slide: What’s At Risk? TALKING POINTS: It’s helpful to include your audience in the discussion. Consider asking some questions about what they know about global warming. Here are a few teasers: When you hear the words “global warming,” what comes to mind? A huge, unsolvable problem? A process that might influence the planet in the future? A problem that’s just too big for individuals like us to tackle? Something that corporations and the government can fix? Do you wonder how it will affect birds? Other animals? What do you think is at risk because of global warming? Illustration Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Slide: Everything TALKING POINTS: This picture of our planet illustrates what is at risk. Here’s one way to talk about it, but use something that is most comfortable for you: The truth is that global warming is real, and all of us need to learn more about it. It is will impact all living things— birds and people included—and it has the potential to impact future generations even more than it will affect us. But you can play a role in helping to reduce the effects—for birds, wildlife, and people. A few degrees increase in average U.S. temperature will have a powerful effect on living things. In a lower emissions scenario, U.S. scientists predict that temperatures will increase at least two degrees Fahrenheit. A high emissions scenario projects that U.S. temperatures will increase 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit. Even small changes in temperature can cause big changes in our climate. Winter and nighttime temperatures might be milder, but summer heat will increase, causing drought in many areas. Illustration Source: NASA Apollo 17 Slide: Increased Storm Frequency DESCRIPTION: Illustration Source: NOAA This is an image of Hurricane Katrina. TALKING POINTS: Many people started making the connection between powerful hurricanes like Katrina and Rita and increasing global temperatures when these hurricanes hit in 2005. Now scientists have confirmed that the strongest hurricanes are becoming more intense—major storms in the Atlantic and Pacific have increased in duration and intensity by about 50% since the 1970s. (Continued on page 4) The reason is that hurricanes draw their strength from the heat in ocean surface waters… so as the ocean waters grow warmer, hurricanes will, all other factors being unchanged, become more powerful on average—a trend that is already evident over the past 35 years. Illustration Source: NOAA Data: IPCC, Pew Center for Climate Change Slide: Sea Level Rise and Coastal TALKING POINTS: Many of the predictions that scientists have made in the past about the impact of global warming on sea level and ice melt are already happening— glaciers are melting and sea ice is beginning to disappear. One of the most serious impacts of global warming is sea level rise. It’s caused by a combination of melting glaciers all over the planet and “thermal expansion” of oceans as their temperatures rise. By the end of the century, if nothing is done, sea levels may be three feet higher than they are today – and they’re projected to keep rising. Some of the impacts are obvious. Low-lying coastal areas will be flooded, from Bangladesh to the Everglades and the Outer Banks. In the United States, more than 50 percent of the population lives in close proximity to the coasts and could be affected by sea level rise. Illustration Source: Roger J. Braithwaite, University of Manchester School of Geology. Data: IPCC Third Assessment Report Slide: Catastrophic Fires TALKING POINTS: Moderate fire is natural and critical to some ecosystems, but catastrophic, drought-fueled wildfires can destroy vast expanses of wildlife habitat. In the American West, there has been a 400 percent increase in the number of major fires and a 600 percent increase in the area of forest burned since 1986 compared to the period between 1970 and 1986. This trend corresponds with warmer springs and an expansion of summer dry periods. Many factors--such as fire suppression, extensive grazing, and forest management practices-contribute to the frequency and intensity of fires, but these recent trends have occurred during a period when land use practices have not changed significantly. Many scientists believe it is likely that climaterelated variables are playing a role in Background: An area that has burned to wildfire activity. the same degree as the one shown here will not regenerate quickly. Foresters refer to a The San Diego county fires that occurred particularly hot fire such as this as in 2007 are a bit different from forest “catastrophic.” This is because it burns with fires as they occurred in chaparral/brush such intense heat that it not only consumes habitat that is meant to burn periodically. all the plant material but also burns much But as human populations continue to of the organic material in the soil, leaving it become denser and denser, and climate infertile for future growth. changes increase the temperature and the potential for droughts, such wild fires will become more frequent and potentially more catastrophic. Illustration Source: www.forestryimages.org Data: D. McKenzie, et al., “Climate Change, Wildfire, and Conservation,” Conservation Biology, Vol. 18, No. 4, August 2004: 1-13. Slide: More Invasive Species TALKING POINTS: Like oceans and other habitats, forests are already under increasing stress from logging, development, and agriculture. Warming temperatures are adding another stress. One piece of evidence is the rise of a hungry forest pest— the mountain pine beetle. These tiny beetles are wreaking havoc on lodgepole pines and white bark pines—and their impact has increased dramatically as the climate has changed. These beetles burrow into mature trees and lay their eggs. When the eggs hatch, both larvae and adults feed on the trees’ pulp. As they feed, these beetles can also transmit blue stain fungi, which attack the tree and combine with the beetles’ feeding to kill millions of trees. (Continued on page 6) Warming temperatures have allowed these beetles to spread farther north. In the past, “hard” freezes helped keep their numbers and damage in check. But warming weather means that hard freezes don’t always come, so the larvae can survive from one season to the next and the trees can’t always fight them off. These beetles have now chomped through a swath of forest the size of Maryland, and entomologists are concerned that this is just the start of big changes in the forest ecosystem, as beetle populations begin to attack new species. Illustration Sources: Top: Bark Beetle – Paul Bolstad, University of Minnesota, www.forestryimages.com; Bottom Left – Bark Beetle Larvae and Bottom Right – Larvae Tracks – Scott Tunnock, USDA Forest Service, www.forestryimages.com. Data: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hts/pubs/beetledoc_oct29LO.pdf http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=4e21d69f-b3e3-4776-99cf2da3b2ee1104&k=38792 Slide: Increased Drought TALKING POINTS: Global warming will not just affect wildlife—it will have a direct impact on all living things, including humans. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has already documented examples of increased drought that scientists fear will get worse as the temperature increases. For instance, desertification in Africa is increasing— the northern Sahara is expanding and affecting many surrounding countries. The Southwestern United States is experiencing an on-going drought that scientists predict will continue throughout the coming decades. Many other parts of the country are also experiencing warmer and drier Note: Many farming practices—from burning fields to usweather. These drought ing gasoline powered machinery—are significant contribuconditions will cause tors to the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. changes in agricultural Rice production is one of the largest single producers of patterns, which lead many methane. According to some estimates, agriculture is reto fear increased poverty sponsible for about one fourth of the greenhouse gases and famine in many parts that are altering the Earth’s climate. (World Wildlife Fund) of the developing world. For example, climate change may render soil in Africa and parts of Asia and South America incapable of supporting wheat and other basic crops. Illustration Source: istock photos. Data: IPCC, The Pew Center on Global Climate Change Slide: Economic Toll TALKING POINTS: “The costs of stabilizing the climate are significant but manageable; delay would be dangerous and much more costly.” Sir Nicholas Stern, Head of the Government Economic Service and Advisor to the Government in the United Kingdom, reported in 2006 that the costs of acting on global warming now are far less than what it will cost if we do nothing. The report’s biggest message: • “Using the results from formal economic models, the Review estimates that if we don’t act, the overall costs and risks of climate change will be equivalent to losing 5% of GDP (global gross domestic product), each year, now and forever. If a wider range of risks and impacts are taken into account, the estimates of damage could rise to 20% of GDP or more.” • “In contrast, the costs of action—reducing greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the worst impacts of climate change—can be limited to around 1% of GDP each year.” Data: Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, Executive Summary, http:// www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/9/9/CLOSED_SHORT_executive_summary.pdf Slide: Human Toll The Human Toll The Human Toll • 100s of millions of environmental refugees in this century* • Increase in air pollution • Spread of tropical diseases • Water shortages and contamination *United Nations Environment Program and IPCC 4 Assessment TALKING POINTS: “All countries will be affected. The most vulnerable – the poorest countries and populations – will suffer earliest and most, even though they have contributed least to the causes of climate change. The costs of extreme weather, including floods, droughts and storms, are already rising, including for rich countries.” “[Scientists] expect heat waves, floods, storms, fires, and droughts related to global warming to contribute to increased rates of death, disease, and injuries for millions around the world.” th “Developing countries, many of which are already under stress, could experience increases in the incidence of diarrheal diseases and malnutrition and consequent disorders, affecting child growth and development. The populations most vulnerable to harsh living conditions in any nation—the elderly, children, and poor—may be unable to cope with further climate change.” Data: Stern Report, http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/9/9/ CLOSED_SHORT_executive_summary.pdf Union of Concerned Scientists, summary of findings for IPCC, climate change impacts, http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science/ipcc-highlights2.html Slide: Number of Studies TALKING POINTS: There is no longer disagreement over whether climate change is happening, or whether the increases in temperatures since 1970 are caused by human activity, primarily by the burning of fossil fuels. There is still speculation concerning certain aspects of global warming, but it ISN’T speculation or disagreement about whether or not global warming is happening or about whether or not humans Note: You could also talk about why this isn’t just are a major cause. Despite de“normal” climate change. Global temperatures have bates about details - will it be experienced natural shifts throughout human hiswetter and drier in some given tory. For example, the climate of the Northern decade - scientists agree on Hemisphere experienced a relatively warm period those two major issues. They between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries and a also agree that these wellperiod of cooler temperatures between the sevenestablished effects will have teenth century and the middle of the nineteenth some serious impacts, including century. However, scientists studying the rapid rise intensified hurricanes, heat in global temperatures during the late twentieth waves and wildfires, and recentury say that natural variability cannot account duced mountain glaciers, snow for what is happening now. (PEW Center for Climate pack and Arctic sea ice. Change) They say the main culprit is emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from Those who are skeptical of human activities. (Most comes from burning of fossil global warming and the reality fuels, but deforestation, agriculture, other land use of human contributions to it are practices, and industrial processes all contribute sigoften not scientists publishing nificantly.) peer-reviewed science papers; they tend to come from other fields and special interest groups and present their critiques in popular media overwhelmingly more often than in scientific journals. Data: Science Magazine, December 3, 2004, Vol. 306, Issue 5702, 1686. Slide: IPCC 2007 Report TALKING POINTS: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released several reports detailing advances in the understanding of the science, impacts, and policy implications of climate change. The IPCC reported that it is “very likely” (>90 percent) that heat-trapping emissions from human activities have caused “most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century.” (UCS) In addition, sea level rose some 7 inches during the 20th century. Conservative projections predict additional sea level increase of 10 to 23 inches in this century, with much (Continued on page 9) greater increases possible due to melting ice sheets (the effects of melting ice sheets cannot be quantitatively predicted with much confidence by known theories). Although some cite this uncertainty as a reason to relax, it is in fact a key vulnerability. Note: The IPCC was established by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme to assess Data: IPCC, February 2007, “Climate the risks from climate change, its potential Change 2007: The Physical Science impacts, and options for adaptation and mitiBasis Summary for Policymakers;” and gation. Over 130 governments participate in IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, the construction and review of the IPCC Re“Summary for Policy Makers,” 2007 ports, making them the most peer-reviewed consensus documents in the world. Union of Concerned Scientists, http:// www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/ science/ipcc-highlights2.html Slide: Science, Choices, Benefits TALKING POINTS: Now that we know what is at stake, what can we do to change things? Slide: Important Crossroads TALKING POINTS: We have important and urgent choices to make now. Momentum in Congress gives us an unprecedented opportunity to mobilize the tens of millions of Americans who care about birds, wildlife, and habitat to influence elected officials and engage others to help pass federal and state legislation that will reduce global warming and its impacts for generations to come. We also have opportunities to influence businesses and take personal actions that can help turn the tide. Slide: We Can Prevent the Worst Impacts TALKING POINTS: Bernie Sanders is a congressional leader on global warming issues. To learn more about Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and his leadership, visit the global warming section of his website - http:// www.sanders.senate.gov/news/index.cfm?code=Global% 20Warming&pheader=Global%20Warming. Slide: We Have the Tools We Need TALKING POINTS: Because of their potential impacts on birds and bats, wind towers must be carefully sited and managed. “We have the potential to produce almost all of our electricity from clean energy sources. Today, we have the technology and the know-how to move beyond our dependence on polluting power plants by using clean, safe, and affordable renewable energy. By harnessing renewable sources of energy like the sun and the wind, we can transform how we produce electricity. Today's solar panels efficiently transform sunlight into electricity while blending into the design of homes and office buildings. Modern wind turbines rise high above the ground, capturing the strongest winds to produce reliable electricity.” “A clean energy future will rely not just on renewable energy, but also on better use of the energy we currently produce. By making the energy we produce last longer, or by increasing "energy efficiency," we can avoid the need for new polluting power plants. We can increase energy efficiency by using available technologies that do the same amount of work but use less energy, like a computer that goes to sleep when it's not in use.” “Clean, renewable energy like solar and wind power currently produces about 2 percent of our electricity nationwide. In contrast, nearly 90 percent of our electricity still comes from polluting sources of energy like coal and nuclear power. Coal-burning power plants are the nation's largest source of carbon dioxide, the heat-trapping pollutant that causes global warming. Coal-fired power plants are also responsible for pollution that increases asthma attacks and worsens environmental problems like acid rain, haze, smog, and other air and water pollution.” Data:, Sierra Club, “Clean Power Comes on Strong, How Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Can Fuel Our Future,” http://www.sierraclub.org/globalwarming/cleanenergy/ solutions.asp. Slide: We Need Leaders TALKING POINTS: Many local leaders are taking steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their state. For instance, almost 800 mayors nationwide have joined Cool Mayors for Climate Change, a coalition dedicated to reducing carbon emissions in their cities. Governors like California Governor Schwarzenegger are also taking steps to pass statewide laws. Find out if your mayor is a Cool Mayor, at www.coolmayors.com, or find your state’s Climate Action Plan at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change at www.pewclimate.org/what_s_being_done/in_the_states/action_plan_map.cfm Slide: We Need Individuals TALKING POINTS: While individual action is important, government action is absolutely essential to get us the path we need to be on to reduce global warming pollution. This is a national and global problem that requires national and international solutions. Slide: Business As Usual DESCRIPTION Graph showing carbon emissions by 2055 under a “business as usual” (BAU) scenario, vs. gigatons of carbon emitted if we implement needed carbon emission reductions to avoid the worst impacts of global warming. TALKING POINTS: “Substantial scientific evidence indicates that an increase in the global average temperature of more than two degrees Celsius (°C) above pre-industrial levels (i.e., those that existed prior to 1860) poses severe risks to natural systems and human health and wellbeing.” “Scientific studies indicate that, to have a reasonable chance of preventing temperatures from rising above this level, we must stabilize the concentration of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere at or below 450 parts per million CO2-equivalent (450 ppm CO2eq—a measurement that expresses the concentration of all heat-trapping gases in terms of CO2). This “stabilization target” would provide a roughly 50 percent chance of (Continued on page 12) keeping the global average temperature from rising more than 2°C, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, above pre-industrial levels, and a 67 percent chance of rising less than 3°C. Therefore, any policy that seeks to avoid dangerous climate change should set a maximum stabilization target of 450 ppm CO2eq.” Data: Union of Concerned Scientists, http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science/ emissionstarget.html Slide: Introducing the Wedge TALKING POINTS: This graph projects how energy use could climb if we continue with business as usual. The scale on the left side shows projected carbon pollution. Just to keep our annual carbon emissions flat for the next 50 years, we will need to reduce our cumulative carbon emissions by more than 200 billion tons below what they are otherwise projected to be, and annual emissions must be reduced by more than 40% below their projected 2050 levels. And if we want to stabilize atmospheric concentrations under 450 parts per million equivalent carbon dioxide, which is what cautious scientists recommend, we need to cut emissions even further, by at least 80% below current levels—a level endorsed by the Schwarzenegger administration in California. So how can we do this? Many smart people have been thinking about what it will take to reduce the threat from global warming and get the world on a path toward a cleaner energy future. The Six ‘Wedges’ of Progress to Stop Global Warming – Two Princeton University researchers, Pacala and Socolow, identified a total of 15 categories of technology that stores carbon, provides energy without producing carbon emissions, or improves the efficiency of carbon-based energy supplies. They state that the large-scale use of any one of these technologies can reduce global Background: We can’t delay: Much of carbon emissions by at least one billion the carbon dioxide we put into the attons a year by the year 2054. They show mosphere now lasts 100 years or more. how each of the 15 options they identified We’re adding 7 billion tons of carbon could be pieced together to prevent at least emissions to the atmosphere annually one billion tons of carbon pollution per and the figure is estimated to double by year. 2056 without some action. 1. Energy Efficiency: As NRDC says, “the cheapest and fastest way to cut global warming pollution is to make things that use electricity more efficiently.” More efficient use of electricity in production and product usage is a great place to start. 2. Other End Use Efficiency: Creating more energy-efficient buildings and businesses is another critical step towards reducing global carbon emissions. 3. Vehicle Efficiency: The manufacturing of higher mileage cars and trucks that use less fossil fuel and vehicles that use alternative energy sources will make a huge difference. (Continued on page 13) 4. Other Transportation: Improved mass transit systems and increasing efficiency in business transportation systems can produce significant gains in energy efficiency. Background: The Pacala/Socolow study concentrates on carbon diox5. Renewable energy sources: Another key is ide. It is the most abundant of the decreasing our use of fossil fuels by increasing greenhouse gases and is a byreliance on renewable energy such as wind and product of burning fossil fuels such bio-fuels. as coal, natural gas and oil. Historically, changes in atmospheric car6. Carbon capture and storage: New techbon dioxide levels have been dinologies to capture, condense, and store carbon rectly linked to changes in temperaemissions from power plants and industrial ture. Current levels of global emissources show great potential to reduce our carsions of carbon dioxide contain 7 bon footprint. These technologies would be simibillion tons of carbon per year. That lar to pollution control devises we use to keep amount is actually projected to rise pollutants out of our air and water. to 14 billion tons per year in the next 50 years as the world population increases and people consume Data: Robert Socolow and Stephen Pacala, more energy. To keep the level of Princeton University emissions stable, technologies and Charts: Natural Resources Defense Council conservation efforts would have to prevent 7 billion tons worth of emissions per year by mid century. Slide: What Do We Want? TALKING POINTS: Some 60 million Americans watch and feed birds. That’s a lot of people. We have the power to change our world for the better – to use our potential to attain strong federal legislation to reduce global warming pollution. Slide: We Want Emissions Reduction! TALKING POINTS: This chart compares legislative climate change targets in the 110th congress. • • • The red line represents “business as usual” from the Dept. of Energy’s Energy Information Administration. The light blue line represents the Lieberman-Warner bill, which is the legislation that has the most political “legs” and is moving through the Senate. The dark orange line represents the “gold standard” for global warming legislation introduced by Sens. Sanders and Boxer and Cong. Waxman. This graph is best used as a visual for demonstrating how different proposals get us down the path of reducing global warming emissions. Avoid getting into the details of the legislation other than mentioning Lieberman-Warner as the bill most likely to move. For more research into these proposals, visit the World Resources Institute, http://www.wri.org/climate/topic_content.cfm?cid=4265 For more details on comparisons among the bills presented in the graph, see NRDC fact sheet, “Solving Global Warming, Your Guide to Legislation” - http://www.nrdc.org/ legislation/factsheets/leg_07032601A.pdf. Data: World Resources Institute, http://www.wri.org/climate/pubs_description.cfm? PubID=4343 Slide: Federal Legislation TALKING POINTS: Our legislative goals focus on three areas: • • Passing National Cap and Trade Legislation to reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2050. • Supporting national and state efforts to enact Renewable Electricity Standards. We need a national RES of 20 percent by 2020. Continuing to promote higher fuel economy standards for vehicles. Slide: Cap & Trade Legislation TALKING POINTS: See notes from PowerPoint. For further background, see the cap and trade portion of the Union of Concerned Scientists’ website at: http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/solutions/capand-trade.html RES-Federal Legislation DESCRIPTION: Photo of wind farms, with the following text: Enact nationwide RES, 20 percent by 2020 from wind, solar, and other clean renewables. TALKING POINTS: The second key area is working to help pass renewable electricity standards and to strengthen the standards currently in place. A renewable electricity standard or RES is a market-based mechanism that requires utility Background: The House companies to increase the portion of electricity passed a 15 percent nationproduced by renewable resources such as wind, wide RES in its version of the biomass, geothermal, and solar energy, or to purenergy bill late in 2006. It didchase credits from other participating utilities. n’t make it through the SenAdopting a national standard is critical to reaching ate. RES represents an our goal of reducing emissions by 80 percent by important first step down the 2050. Our goal is to have 20 percent of our elecpath to a cleaner energy futricity coming from renewable sources by 2020— ture. For an October 2007 upincluding solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and date of a Union of Concerned very small hydro. The good news is that many Scientists analysis of the 15 states already have Renewable Electricity Stanpercent RES passed in the dards. House energy bill, see http:// www.ucsusa.org/ There’s more good news about renewable electricclean_energy/ ity. Compared to energy from burning fossil fuels, clean_energy_policies/cashingrenewable electricity produces less air and water in.html. This analysis includes pollution and less habitat loss to mining, drilling, state-specific benefits. and transport of fossil fuel. Moreover, studies show that renewable electricity supports more jobs per dollar than fossil fuels do. For more on current federal and state legislation updates, go to Audubon.org and click on global warming updates. Illustration Source: Tennessee Valley Authority Slide: RES-Federal Legislation TALKING POINTS: Benefits of an RES aren’t limited to global emissions reductions, they’re state-specific as well. The Union of Concerned Scientists recently published a report called Cashing in On Clean Energy, which highlights statespecific benefits of having a 20 percent RES. For instance, New York would create 7,330 new jobs and see a reduction in natural gas prices by $1.1 billion. Florida, which has enormous solar potential, will see creation of 3,500 new jobs and $1.2 billion in new capital investment. Fast Fact: Many of the technological advances that make daily life more convenient rely on solar energy, including highway traffic signs, cell phones, automated teller machines, pagers, global positioning systems, microwave transmissions, and direct TV. (NRDC) Fast Fact: Solar energy employs more than 20,000 Americans in high-tech, high-paying jobs. (NRDC) Fast-Fact: One million solar energy systems will be installed on rooftops across the United States by 2010. The Department of Energy’s Million Solar Roofs program kicked off in 1998 and is already ahead of schedule. The installation of these systems could eliminate carbon dioxide emissions equal to the amount produced by 800,000 cars each year. (NRDC) Go to the UCS website to see if they have a report for your state. Otherwise, focus on national numbers: http:// www.ucsusa.org/ clean_energy/ clean_energy_policies/ cashing-in.html Slide: CAFE-Federal Legislation TALKING POINTS: The third critical mechanism for lowering global warming emissions is to adopt an increase in fuel economy standards for vehicles (CAFE standards) Late in December 2007 the U.S. House and Senate passed an energy bill that contained a fuel economy standard that would require a fleet-wide (cars and trucks) increase to an average of 35 mpg by 2020. Much flexibility is built into the proposal to allow automakers to reach the goal. For instance, the Department of Transportation can create an “attribute-based” system, where heavier trucks are held to much lower standards than light cars. Under this system, it is likely that companies like Ford, which make more trucks, will not have to reach the 35 mpg average, while companies like Honda, which make smaller cars, will reach a much higher average. Audubon supports the CAFE standard, and recognizes that any weaker proposal will not help us save oil or reduce global warming emissions to the necessary levels. Illustration Source: Dept of Energy Slide: CAFE-Federal Legislation TALKING POINTS: U.S. fuel economy policy had not changed in 30 years. Many auto companies argued that increasing CAFE standards will be costly—both in money and in jobs. However, the benefits far outweigh the costs. By requiring automobiles to average 35 mpg by 2020, the United States will save 1.2 million barrels of oil A DAY. That’s roughly equal to half of what we import from the Persian Gulf, and that number is projected to increase to 2.5 million barrels per day by 2030. It will also remove about 200 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the air, and save consumers about $25 billion at the pump (this number is based on $2.55 per gallon, using the 2005 dollar). UCS also estimates that meeting CAFÉ standards will help create 170,800 jobs nationwide. Data: Union of Concerned Scientists, October 2007, http://www.ucsusa.org/ clean_vehicles/fuel_economy/senate_fuel_economy_compromise.html Slide: Efficiency-Federal Legislation TALKING POINTS: “An important strategy for reducing our dependence on fossil fuels is improving energy efficiency (that is, getting more use out of the electricity we already generate). Energy efficiency measures such as advanced industrial processes and high-efficiency motors, lighting, and appliances, have the potential to provide significant reductions in energy use while saving consumers money in the long run.” (UCS) “Policies that support improved efficiency include federal appliance and equipment efficiency standards, enhanced building codes, tax incentives, and industrial energy efficiency measures.” (UCS) We need federal policies, but homeowners can take steps on their own to save money and energy. Companies like ENERGY STAR offer appliances, heating and cooling, lighting, electronics, and office equipment that use significantly less energy than their counterparts. In 2006, ENERGY STAR users saved energy that is equivalent to taking 25 million cars off the road and about $14 billion. Illustration Source: iStock Data: Union of Concerned Scientists, August 2005, http://www.ucsusa.org/ clean_energy/energy_efficiency/ Energy Star: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=about.ab_index Slide: What Do We Need to Do? TALKING POINTS: If you’ve never been politically active, don’t be daunted: it’s not as hard or complicated as you might think. There are many ways to get involved. And if you are already a pro, then take these as reminders that we still need your help! Find sources you trust and keep up with new developments in the environmental world: this will help you determine what you believe and what you want to support. You can join groups that have systems for keeping you up to date, like Audubon and the National Wildlife Federation. For example, Audubon’s e-activist system allows you to get periodic updates when important issues are before Congress. Many groups have action networks to help you stay informed and make it easy to take action. Slide: Pass Federal Legislation : Face to Face Meetings TALKING POINTS: See PowerPoint It is VITAL to the progress of global warming legislation that constituents meet with their Senators or Congresspeople (or their staff). Representatives need to know that their constituents care about solutions and want votes to pass federal legislation on their behalf. Remember—when you get there, it’s OK if you don’t know the answer to a staff person’s question. Write it down, and you can always have a DC policy person contact them later. Slide: Pass Federal Legislation: Contact Your Legislators TALKING POINTS: See PowerPoint Slide: Pass Federal Legislation : Use the Media TALKING POINTS: The media is a great way to reach new audiences and touch millions with your messages. How many of you have written a letter to the editor of your local paper about global warming or a local energy (Continued on page 19) issue? If you haven’t, it’s a great way to highlight global warming issues and let your voice be heard. Elected officials pay close attention to opinions voiced in newspapers, radio, and television in their district/state. More people read letters to the editor than almost any other newspaper section (except the comics). Be sure to know the newspaper’s rules for letters to the editor. Many won’t publish letters containing more than 250 words. Also, timeliness is everything. The sooner you send a letter to a paper in response to an article, event, etc., the more likely it is to be published. You can also start a global warming blog, influence local cable stations to cover global warming issues, or write feature articles for a website or publication. Also see PowerPoint slide notes. Slide: Pass Federal Legislation : Join Audubon Action Center TALKING POINTS: Sign up for Audubon’s timely action alerts and monthly Audubon Advisories on important issues. See PowerPoint slide notes. Slide: Take Action and Vote TALKING POINTS: Educate yourself before you vote! Find out the environmental platforms of candidates running in elections. Will the candidate be a good leader? Will he or she take the necessary steps to enact strong legislation to reduce global warming pollution? Ask questions. Speak up, and organize others to do so. Attend local events featuring candidates. Let candidates for elected offices know that their constituents care about global warming and want to see 80 percent reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. And, of course, VOTE! Slide: Is Congress the Only Answer? TALKING POINTS: Individuals, businesses, communities must all contribute to solving global warming. See PowerPoint slide notes. Slide: Individual Actions Add Up TALKING POINTS: Now is a good time to engage your audience again. Ask them if they know what steps people in their communities have taken to reduce their global warming emissions. Do they know if their local governments, schools, or businesses have taken action? If not, ask them what they think can be done around their communities. Slide: Educate Others to Take Action TALKING POINTS: Everyone can help by educating others about these issues. You can take this presentation and adapt it to present to your colleagues and other conservation groups, as well as schools, businesses, service organizations, and other groups that are looking to learn more about how to get involved. Don’t underestimate the value of talking to other people and helping them see how they can get involved. We need to really motivate others and use the multiplier effect to reach more people to create long-term change. Slide: Take Action in Your Community TALKING POINTS: It’s not hard to get involved! There are many local coalitions looking for volunteers to help. Organizations like the Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, and Sierra Club have chapters around the country that are actively participating in local events. If you don’t want to volunteer, look to events like Step It Up, which are organized events intended to send a message to Congress. Look to http://stepitup2007.org/ for information on local events, or go to your local Audubon Chapter for information at http://www.audubon.org/states/index.php Slide: Take Action in Your Community TALKING POINTS: Building greener cities—cities planned to protect biodiversity and create healthier living conditions for people—is another way to reduce the impact of global warming. Smarter housing, less concrete, more efficient transportation, and other enhancements to the built environment can help achieve the 80 percent reduction we need. “Poorly planned development threatens our environment, our health, and our quality of life in numerous ways...Sprawl pollutes our air and water. As reliance on cars and pavement of more and more roads increases, so does smog and pollution from water runoff. Today, more than half all Americans live in areas where the air is unsafe to breathe. Sprawl destroys more than two million acres of parks, farms and open space each year.” Information on global warming and sprawl is available at http://www.sierraclub.org/ sprawl/globalwarming.pdf Illustration Source: Chris Gierszewski, Flickr.com Slide: Take Action in Your Community TALKING POINTS: Using less water is always a good idea—especially in areas that have water shortages. But using less hot water can reduce your energy consumption by a huge amount. Wash clothes in cold or warm water instead of hot water. This can reduce carbon dioxide by 500 pounds a year. You should also make sure to use low-flow showerheads to save hot water and water in general. This can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 350 pounds a year. Other tips: Run your dishwasher only when full and then use the air-dry option to reduce energy use. When you have to replace your washing machine, choose a new highefficiency front-loader. It uses less water, electricity, and detergent. Establish a “green roof” and plant trees around your house. Planting rooftop gardens and planting trees near your home can significantly shield your home from the elements, reducing energy use for air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter. One study showed that shade trees can reduce energy use for air conditioning by up to seventy percent. Trees also absorb and store carbon dioxide (CO2), which is the gas primarily responsible for global warming. Over an average life-span of a tree, it can remove a ton of CO2 from the atmosphere. Reduce the threat of invasive species and incorporate a diversity of native plants into your landscape. Global warming will contribute to a dramatic expansion of invasive, non-native plants and animals, which are able to take advantage of weakened ecosystems and outcompete native species. Gardeners can play an important role in minimizing the threat of invasive species expansion by removing invasive plants from the garden and choosing an array of native alternatives. Data: NWF, http://www.nwf.org/news/story.cfm?pageId=0564AA7E-15C5-5FE8B0CBCBF79CCDB9ED Slide: Take Action: Increase Energy Efficiency TALKING POINTS: Replacing a single incandescent light bulb (a technology from the 1800’s) with a low-energy spiral (CFL) bulb would save 500 lbs of coal over the life span of the (CFL) bulb. This would avoid some 1,430 pounds of carbon dioxide pollution and save $30 over the life of the bulb. We need to be turning off the incandescent bulbs and turning on compact fluorescent bulbs instead. This is an action that really will add up if millions of Americans make the switch! Background on Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Bulbs: Replacing a single incandescent light bulb (a technology from the 1800’s) with a low-energy spiral (CFL) bulb saves 500 lbs of coal over the life span of the (CFL) bulb. This helps avoid some 1,430 pounds of carbon dioxide pollution and saves $30 over the life of the bulb. We need to be turning off the incandescent bulbs and turning on compact fluorescent bulbs instead. This is a small action that will have big results if millions of Americans make the switch! If every American home replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an ENERGY STAR® -rated CFL, we would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars. ENERGY STAR® -qualified CFLs: • Use at least 2/3 less energy than standard incandescent bulbs to provide the same amount of light, and last up to 10 times longer. • Save $30 or more in energy costs over each bulb’s lifetime. • Generate 70 percent less heat, so they’re safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with home cooling. • In addition to other quality requirements, most turn on instantly, produce no sound, and fall within a warm color range or are otherwise labeled as providing cooler color tones. • Are now available in different sizes and shapes to fit in almost any fixture, for both indoors and outdoors. Slide: Take Action at Home TALKING POINTS: According to Audubon’s 2006 Green Energy Guide, your annual savings can be: • $7 per bulb if you switch to incandescent. • $60-$70 if you seal air leaks. • $4-$8 per window for weather stripping and caulking. • $160-$236 if you tune up your furnace. Check out more savings in Audubon’s Green Energy Guide at: http:// audubonmagazine.org/features0609/energyGuide.html Illustration source: Sherrie York, Audubon At Home Slide: Take Action at Home TALKING POINTS: Replacing older appliances with new energy efficient models can cut appliance-based carbon dioxide by 20 percent to 50 percent. New refrigerators use about 50 percent less energy than those made just 10-15 years ago. Amazingly, refrigerators consume about 10 to 15 percent of the energy used in an average home. Slide: Take Action: Drive Less TALKING POINTS: Consider driving less by taking public transportation, walking, bicycling, or carpooling. If you leave your car at home two days a week, you can reduce your carbon dioxide output by 1590 pounds per year. A sizable portion of our trips could be eliminated by a modicum of coordination among family members and drivers. Have household members join in on the planning of efficient trips and they, too, will be hooked on greener habits. When you need to buy a new car, go for the most energy efficient and least-polluting car you can find. Hybrids get amazing gas mileage and produce fewer harmful emissions. Over the average lifetime of an American car, a 40mpg car will save roughly $3,000 in fuel costs compared to a 20mpg. The US Department of Energy estimates that you’ll save anywhere from $250-$1,200 on fuel costs per year with a hybrid, and could even be eligible for a tax deduction. Go online and find out how many tons of carbon dioxide your car emits! http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm Make sure to keep you tires inflated and your car tuned up. This can increase gas mileage by more than 3 percent. Take off rooftop carriers when they’re not in use and change your air filter regularly. Slide: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Reject TALKING POINTS: You’ve heard about the 3Rs or the 4Rs…and might not think it makes any difference. But your third grade teacher was right – it really does. By reducing your waste, recycling whatever you can (and doing it regularly), reusing and rejecting projects that are not environmentally friendly, you can help reduce energy use. Recycling half of your household waste can reduce carbon dioxide by 2400 pounds a year. Fast Fact: Recycling half of your household waste can reduce carbon dioxide by 2400 pounds a year. Illustration Source: FreeFoto.com, Ian Britton Slide: Take Action At Home Talking points: Solar energy for your home may be a little tougher, but the benefits are enormous. While expensive at the onset (the cost will depend on how big your home is and where you are living), those in solar homes have significantly lower electricity bills each month. These systems also last for a long time, preempting any inflation in energy costs. There are a number of companies out there offering home solar installations, so shop around and find one that’s right for you. Slide: Our Actions All Add Up TALKING POINTS: Now is a good time to reflect on what you’ve said, and stress the urgency. We need to do all of these things—and fast! See PowerPoint for more notes. Slide: The Silver Linings TALKING POINTS: We have so much to lose if global warming continues, but we have much to gain if we reverse the damage. Think about what you want for yourself, for the next generation, and for the country: clean air, wetlands, forests, clean water, freedom from limited resources like oil and coal, and new jobs. There is a world of benefit if we do this right! Slide: Our Actions All Add Up TALKING POINTS: It’s not impossible or even difficult to get involved in global warming solutions. The smallest efforts can make a world of change. Urge the government to act, but don’t wait for them to act before you take action on your own. Slide: It’s Your Actions that Matter DESCRIPTION: Image of a bird singing. TALKING POINTS: Your actions will help make the difference—for all living things and the future of life on Earth. We encourage you to sign up with AudubonAction to start making a difference today. Visit Audubon.org and get involved. Illustration Source: Bob Martinka Some useful websites: Website of Global Warming Expert, Stephen H. Schneider: www.climatechange.net U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star: www.energystar.gov Union of Concerned Scientists: ucsusa.org Princeton University: www.princeton.edu University of East Anglia: www1.uea.ac.uk/cm/Home CSIRO Australia: www.csiro.au/ Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research: www.pik-potsdam.de/ Audubon Action Center: www.audubonaction.org/audubon