The Big Picture
Why reduce greenhouse gas pollution?
Although we don’t see it, greenhouse gas pollution goes into the air every time we switch on the lights, wash our clothes, plug in our hair dryers, use our computers, turn on the television, or use electricity in any other way. This is because some of our electricity comes from coal combustion, and when utilities burn coal, significant amounts of greenhouse gas pollution come out of the smokestack.
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Greenhouse gas pollution also comes out of the tailpipes of our cars and trucks, because every time we burn gasoline, we create CO2. The same thing happens when we use natural gas or oil to heat our homes.
We need to reduce greenhouse gas pollution because it causes global warming, and this is a very real threat to every one of us. It threatens our health, our economy, and even our social order and food supply. What’s more, reducing energy use also saves money. This is especially true given the rising cost of fuel and the projected 20%+ increase that is to come on our electric bills come January 1, 2011.
If you have questions about global warming and the science behind it, click here for our Frequently Asked Questions: Climate Change FAQ
* Wondering what are the sources of the energy in your home, church or office? Check out the Power Profiler from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. After you enter your ZIP code and choose the energy supplier in your area, you instantly get a breakdown of the fuel mix that generates the electricity to your home. The EPA tool also lists the emissions rates, in pounds per megawatt-hour.
BLUER’s short-term goal is a 10% reduction by 2015, but the ultimate goal of many respected organizations, experts and legislators is an 80% reduction by the year 2050. This is what they say we must achieve in order to avoid catastrophic climate change. If we achieve BLUER’s goal, we will succeed in stopping the growth in the amount of pollution we emit and begin “bending our curve” in a downward direction. If we can do this, we can help set West Chester on a path toward a sustainable future. This is one of the most important things we can do together for the health of our residential, business and industrial communities. Become a Borough Leader and help us “Bend the curve”!
Click on the chart below to open an interactive page that shows how our greenhouse gas pollution will grow if we do nothing, and how we can not only stop this growth, but begin to reduce it. Just run your cursor over each data point and the blue shaded area, and you’ll see pop-up windows that offer a full explanation.
Click on chart to expand.
