Not a fan of Global Warming, huh?

A global switch to efficient lighting systems would trim the world's electricity bill by nearly one-tenth. The carbon dioxide emissions saved by such a switch would, it concludes, dwarf cuts so far achieved by adopting wind and solar power. Wow. According to Paul Waide, a senior policy analyst with the IEA and one of the report's authors, "19% of global electricity generation is taken for lighting -- that's more than is produced by hydro or nuclear stations, and about the same that's produced from natural gas." For the individual TreeHugger, the report concludes that the easiest, most obvious switch to make is from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent systems, and to watch out for the LED revolution, just around the lighting corner.

Info available @ http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/06/change_a_light.php

At the rate that we are going with over 150 new coal plants in the U.S. they (Energy Information Administration) say that by 2030 CO2 emissions will be up by 43%. Everybody agrees that the weather is getting crazy. And while some people appreciate the warm weather in Cincinnati in other parts of the world it means disaster and possibly death. In Oklahoma, it isn't snowing. It's solid ice 4 inches thick. In some areas school has been canceled for over a week. Oklahoma hasn't seen this sort of weather since the ice age. An area that is seriously unprepared for this sort of weather. Salt? No. They don't do that. They do tornados. Blizzards? Not till recently. National Geographic talks about the polar ice caps melting and 4-5 hurricanes happening in odd spots all in one year. New Orleans wasn't prepared for Katrina. But in the future, even with super levies can it survive ? Who really knows? All of this is completely unpredictable. But one thing you can count on is that it isn't going to stop. It will in all likelihood get severly worse.

All the technology we have and yet not millions, but literally many billions of people live in poverty? While they starve we are to contine to emit millions of tons of CO2 and who knows whatelse in to the air, poluting the world they live in. And if you use a damn lightbulb that uses less energy you save yourself a measily $8 and you emit less carbon into the air and what of it? That's great. So you fixed one problem, but oh yea. You don't recycle. And billions of people are starving. And can you believe that George's dad died on Grey's last night?

So it's always something. And you can't fix everything. But maybe the next time you are out shopping and you need to replace your incandescent light bulbs you can at least think about the flourescent ones that save you money...and maybe...buy them...and if you do then you are making a big change. One person. If you bought one flourescent light bulb it woud last you possibly years and every time you turn it on you will know that you are not emitting tons CO2 in the air, potentially making the world an even more horrible place to live in for the billions of people who are living below the poverty line all of the globe. Even if you aren't thinking about it, one action sets off a chain reaction.

P.S. Estimated potential $90 savings a year http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/content/0,21770,1206333,00.html