Prof heats up talk on global climate

The possibility that Philadelphia could someday become an ocean city drew dozens of professors and students to a lecture Friday on global climate change. In his speech, entitled "Global Climate Change: Will Philadelphia be a Coastal Community in the 21st Century," Michael McCabe, a regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency, said it is unlikely Philadelphia's climate will change that drastically. But despite the humorous title of the lecture, sponsored by the Institute for Environmental Studies and held in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, McCabe emphasized the seriousness of the effects of climate change, as well as its lack of publicity. "Twenty-five years ago, we were certain pesticides weakened the shells of eggs and toxins poured into rivers were harming our water supplies," McCabe said in reference to the less complex environmental problems of the past. "But this generation faces the far less certain effects of climate change." Over the past half century, the average global temperature has increased approximately one degree Fahrenheit, affecting everything from precipitation to animal habitation patterns, according to McCabe, who explained that climate change affects seasonal weather on a yearly basis. McCabe said humans can help prevent harmful climate change by reducing the rate at which greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, are pumped into the atmosphere. This method and others will be the topic of the International Conference on Global Climate Change to be held in Kyoto, Japan, in December. The governmental summit will include representatives from about 160 nations, including the United States. According to McCabe, one of the most serious problems facing the conference is the unwillingness of many people to make the lifestyle changes necessary to improve the environment. "If we go to Kyoto and nothing happens, it will be a greenhouse conference that's nothing more that hot air," McCabe said. "If something real happens, Americans will have to make the most important lifestyle choice for our children and grandchildren." Emphasizing the difference every person can make in the fight against climate change, McCabe stressed that "local actions can have important effects, though they might seem small in the context of the world." "If each American were to turn off a 100-watt bulb for an hour a day, it would be the equivalent of planting a million trees," McCabe noted. Heather Tack, a first-year engineering graduate student at Drexel University, agreed that it would be difficult to get Americans to change their habits but stressed that she was glad to "learn how many things we can do to fight the problem on an individual level."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.