Scientific writers are fond of pointing out the environmental faults of Americans. We’re told that per capita we use more energy and produce more CO2 than any other nation in the world. We are even worse for the environment than people in other developed nations like the UK. For years I’ve just accepted this idea and tried to change my habits while avoiding guilt paralysis. Last night though for some reason I actually got to thinking. How could moving from one country to another have dramatically changed my personal contribution to global climate change? Did something weird happen to me on the way across the Atlantic?
I can’t really think of one thing I’m doing a whole lot differently than I would if I were living in Scotland (except of course for the need to fly when I want to visit relatives, which I don’t think is enough to account for the difference). Therefore, it seems to me that if I can solve this puzzle I have a chance of pinpointing some relatively painless changes we as a country could make. Now of course the UK has it’s own climate impact problems, but since ours are apparently worse it seems I should start here. What exactly is the difference between me living here and me living in Scotland? I’m afraid it’s going to take me more than 5 minutes to figure this out, so while I spend the time researching, maybe for a few months, here are a few related learning links:
- A global warming factsheet for kids from the Young People’s Trust for the Environment.
- ClimateCrisis.net – the online home of An Inconvenient Truth and their companion site TakePart.com which provides impetus and ideas for change.
- Scientists Picked for Top Posts promise to take climate change seriously.
And by the way, if you’ve come across a good graphic or statistics on why and how Americans cause more impact compared to other countries please do let me know.
What we know about climate change from Amazon.com.
Kindle books on an Earth theme. Seeking a kindle? Sign up to receive Kindle alerts.
See Inside Planet Earth a Teacher’s Choice 2009 award winner and Why Should I Bother About the Planet - two Usborne books which help kids understand the Earth.
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