Climate change is an omnipotent issue. Whether you have been convinced by scientists or by simply watching the news and hearing of a new natural disaster virtually every week, what is undeniable is that the weather affects our daily lives, and that lately it has been dangerously unpredictable. The question then becomes what ought to be done about climate change. It is not an easy question to answer, and the disappointing outcome of the Copenhagen summit — a weak, non-binding resolution signed by a handful of countries — does not lend much hope to the situation. Fortunately, the fate of environmental degradation is not entirely left to the realm of national and international politics.
The Wisconsin State Assembly and Senate have introduced complementary clean energy bills. The Assembly bill (2009 bill 649) was introduced back in the beginning of January. If passed, the bill would require greenhouse gas emissions to be back to 2005 levels by 2014, culminating in a 75 percent reduction from 2005 levels by 2050. The bill provides for a greater dependence on renewable resources and a greater independence from non-renewable resources. By 2030, all new buildings would have to be totally self-sufficient through renewable resources; as in, if you want that microwave in the break room, you better get some solar panels. The DNR would be responsible for making sure the progress is made, through quadrennial assessments of the state’s progress. Both the Senate and Assembly bills were introduced by bicameral sponsors, so the bills are quite similar.
A quick perusal of the bills demonstrates their merit, though I am bit confused by the classification of nuclear energy as non-renewable. Nuclear power has been a scapegoat for long enough in the United States. Chernobyl was a disaster catastrophic enough to give anyone pause before diving into nuclear energy, but at the same time, Chernobyl happened in 1986 in the Soviet Union. Nuclear energy has come a long way since then, and is used effectively in many countries, particularly in Western Europe. As for all that nuclear waste, it is rather surprising no one mentions recycling, which drastically reduces the amount of waste from nuclear energy production and reduces the amount of material needed to begin power generation. When recycling, nuclear power plants use a closed fuel cycle in lieu of an open fuel cycle. That means some of the byproducts of the first round of energy production get put back through the process to create more fuel. About 95 percent of the used fuel can be recycled back into the system. The details of the whole thing are intrinsically complicated, but the main gist is that it is possible, it is safe and it is being used in countries such as France and Germany. Here in the United States, what byproducts are produced from our limited use of nuclear power in general is shoved in a convenient mountain. The attitude toward recycling nuclear waste ought to be similar to our attitude toward recycling paper: neither should be ending up in landfills.
Minor flaws in execution notwithstanding, this is a step forward. These bills offer great promise to the sorts of measures that can be taken to combat climate change while the “major players” are squabbling on the bench. Climate change is a serious issue, one we cannot allow to get bogged down in partisan deadlocks or international power plays. Tangible achievements are more important than which country can claim hegemonic power. Some will argue one state’s efforts to address climate change are futile, with states (except maybe California) being too small to have an impact. To such cynics, I have but one argument — collective action. Wisconsin alone may not be able to offset China’s greenhouse gas emissions, but if Washington, Shandong, Gujarat and more get on board, well, you see where I’m going. If everyone pitches in on a small scale, be it individually or as a larger group, we can have an impact. We can stop ranting about international inefficiencies and start doing something.
Public hearings have been held on the Senate bill, and a vote should be coming up soon; the legislature is coming back into session on March 26. As long as Governor Doyle has realized that supporting a bill does not mean vetoing it, we should soon be hearing of a historic measure passed in our very own capital.
Elise Swanson ([email protected]) is a freshman with an undecided major.
