Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
5
Climate Change
Danielle Nierenberg and Meredith Niles
Climate change is undoubtedly the most pressing environmental
issue of our time. Glaciers are melting, arctic tundra is thawing,
hurricanes and other extreme weather events are occurring more
frequently, and penguins, polar bears, and countless other plant
and animal species are struggling to survive in the face of rising
temperatures. Thanks primarily to the efforts of the Nobel Peace
Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),
whose scientists were among the first to document the growth in
global greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), and the perseverance
of environmentalists, people worldwide are more aware than ever
of how human actions contribute to climate change. Increasingly,
we understand that we drive too much and bike too little, leave
our lights and computers on when we're not using them, and buy
clothes, electronic gadgets, and other products that we may not
really
need—all of which contribute to rising GHG emissions and
increasing environmental and health problems.
While embracing a “greener” lifestyle can play a significant role
in reducing GHG emissions and decreasing our dependence on fos-
sil fuels, mitigation strategies cannot rest with shifts in our modes
Danielle Nierenberg, M.S., is a senior researcher at the Worldwatch Institute
and a co-project director of
State of World 2011: Nourishing the Planet
. Meredith
Niles is the coordinator of the Cool Foods Campaign, a national initiative of the
CornerStone Campaign and the Center for Food Safety.
