Global warming and you

When it comes to global climate change, a single degree means a lot.

Even here in McHenry County.

Scientists say that the earth's average temperature has increased by just over one degree Fahrenheit during the last century, and most of that warming was due to human activities.

But that single degree could increase by as much as 2 to 10 degrees or more in northern Illinois by the end of this century if nothing is done to slow the rate of greenhouse gas emissions around the world, according to a professor of geography at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb and most scientists who have studied the topic.

Such a dramatic temperature shift could produce environmental changes that many believe will have serious, and in some cases deadly, consequences.

What is global warming?

The vast majority of scientists agree that the Earth's temperature increase largely is a result of human actions in the last 200 years, like burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil, which has increased the amount of greenhouse gases that trap heat in the earth's atmosphere, said David Goldblum a geology professor at NIU who has studied climate change.

Some warming is necessary to keep the earth at a temperature that can support life, but too much can lead to severe storms and coastal flooding, among other consequences.

Scientists already have noticed a rise in sea levels, shrinking glaciers, changes in where plant and animal species are found, trees blooming earlier, longer growing seasons, and lakes freezing later in the year and breaking up earlier, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In suburban Chicago, the changes have been minimal so far, Goldblum said, but if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase, temperatures could rise by two to three degrees Fahrenheit in the next few decades and as much as 16 degrees in the next 80 years, according to climate models that Goldblum has studied.

As a result, northern Illinois residents now in their 40s and 50s will probably be around to experience heat waves that are one to two degrees hotter, longer, and more likely to cause deaths, Goldblum said. Mosquitoes and other insects that carry disease will become more prevalent, and diseases like West Nile Virus will be more common, he said.

The children and grandchildren of northern Illinois residents likely will experience dangerously hot summers, water shortages, corn and soybean crops that are stressed by the heat, and less overall rainfall, but more dramatic storms that could cause flooding.

Another view

Brock Bentson said he has noticed climate changes in McHenry County in the past 20 years. The energy manager for Conserv FS, a Woodstock farm supply company, said the temperature swings are wider, stressing plants, and the storms are more severe, damaging crops.

But Bentson is not convinced that humans are responsible for the changes.

"Weather does that. It goes in cycles," he said. "I'm one that believes right now that we're in a warm trend. I think it will change."

Bentson admitted that evidence like retreating glaciers and melting polar ice is convincing, he said.

"But who's to say that in 10 years it's not going to come back?" he asked.

Though in the minority, Bentson is not alone. A small number of groups around the country, including the nonprofit Heartland Institute in Chicago, also take the view that climate change is not a result of human activities and should not receive so much attention and money.

Tom Swiss, a spokesman for the Chicago think tank, said the warming the Earth has experienced in recent years may be due to activity by the sun.

"[Global warming] is not manmade, it's not global and it's not a crisis," Swiss said. "... It's just all of these fear tactics that are being used to politicize the agenda."

Swiss said solar flares can cause global warming and cooling, and this may just be another period of warming.

But according to studies released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change this year, an overwhelming majority of climate scientists believe humans are the main cause of global warming.

How we can help

Just as humans can add greenhouse gases to the air, we can help decrease them.

Transportation and electricity production are the two biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions by humans, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Actions as simple as making sure car tires are properly inflated can improve gas mileage and save energy. Unplugging electronics and appliances when they're not being used can save electricity and finding ways to drive less by walking, biking or taking public transportation can add up to thousands of pounds of carbon emission savings.

But Goldblum said he fears that individuals worry more about immediate matters like job security than the effects of climate change, which may not become apparent in McHenry County for another 20 years.

"I'm just afraid that there's no sense of urgency," he said.

"... Once we start to see changes take place, then we'll start to act, but once you see those major changes, it's hard to turn the ship around."

But individuals are not expected to do everything themselves, said Ron Burke, associate director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

Government action

Gov. Rod Blagojevich charged the Illinois Climate Change Advisory Group in February with recommending policies that will lower greenhouse gas emissions in Illinois to 1990 levels of 231cq million metric tons per year by 2020, when emissions are predicted to reach 312cq million metric tons.

"Global warming, as the name suggests, is a global problem. We need action at a global level," Burke said.

"At the same time, the governor feels that the state needs to show responsibility and do our fair share."

But individual action can help too, Burke said. While the state government discusses requiring automakers to sell cars that have lower greenhouse gas emissions, individuals can choose to purchase more fuel efficient cars, carpool or take public transportation.

Buying compact fluorescent light bulbs for your home costs more, but they also use one-fifth the energy to create the same amount of light, Burke said.

"The electricity savings more than make up for that additional cost," he said. And drinking tap water rather than bottled water, which requires energy to make the plastic bottles, transport them to a store and recycle or take the empty bottles to a landfill, also saves energy.

"That's something you might not think about," Burke said.

What do we contribute?

According to the Web site www.earthlab.com, which is associated with the Live Earth global warming awareness concerts of July 7, the average American produces between 15 and 20 tons of carbon each year. A calculator on the Web site www.americanforests.org said the average single family home is responsible for producing nearly nine tons of carbon through electricity use each year and about five-and-a-half tons of carbon emissions through natural gas use.

Driving a mid-sized sedan 11,000 miles per year adds another five tons of carbon emissions, according to the site.

In addition to producing fewer greenhouse gases, planting trees can help cool the planet. Plants naturally remove CO2 from the air by absorbing it during photosynthesis.

"If lots of people are doing lots of little things, they add up," said Caron Wenzel, a Woodstock resident who has installed solar panels on her roof, insulated her attic, replaced all of her lightbulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, recycled her old, inefficient freezer and cut her energy bill by $1,300 in one year.

"It took us 150 years to get into this mess, so if we can get out of it in 25 years, we'll be doing really well," Wenzel said.

Lois Johnson, a member of the McHenry County Defenders environment advocacy group and an environmental education teacher at McHenry County schools, said it is important for individuals to take action even though one person reducing carbon emissions by a few tons a year will not have a significant impact on the millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions that Blagojevich hopes to eliminate by 2020 in Illinois alone.

"We need to keep hope," Johnson said. "It empowers us to be able to participate on a personal level. I do think it's going to require governmental action."

"... We want to be sure we don't leave our children with a problem we can't fix."