Dear Fellow Earthlings,

Does anyone else have a dickens of a time getting that old expression, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," out of her mind? I guess literature is judged to be classic due to its enduring beauty and relevance.

Here, thanks to many vigilant contributors, is your e-news about climate change. This issue is longish because it's been a month in the making. We hope to return to the bi-weekly rhythm as the autumnal equinox draws near.

Looking for good information about climate change and good company in which to DO SOMETHING? We have new small groups starting for this very purpose. The first group starts in 10 days, and a second one, based on the popular Low Carbon Diet will begin in late October. Details to come.

Small Group on Global Warming

Developed by the Northwest Earth Institute, Global Warming: Changing Co2urse is a four session course exploring the history and science of global warming, personal values and habits as they relate to climate change, and personal actions to curb the effects of global warming.   

Who:  Up to 12 people who want to study and discuss climate change
When:  7:30-9:00 pm, Mondays September 17-October 8, 2007
Where:  Sierra Club Office, 2011 Fourth Street , Sarasota FL
Cost:  $20 to cover the book of readings and discussion guide.
To register: Contact Kathy Albury, 941-927-7565, kfa44@yahoo.com
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BEAUTIFUL COLLABORATION AMONG PEOPLE OF FAITH

Pax Christi USA's sign-on statement on global warming, People  of Faith Speak Out on Global Climate Change . . . is set to be  published in the November issue of Sojourners Magazine and  delivered to every member of the U.S. Congress this fall.

You can sign on as an individual or an organization:
<http://www.paxchristiusa.org/news_Events_more.asp?id=1277>
Contributed by Lee Hayes Byron
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GOOD CITIZENS IN SARASOTA COUNTY: how far we have to go to live sustainably

SCOPE, an organization that engages our community in planning to enhance the quality of life in Sarasota County, has released a comprehensive Report Card. The first installment finds that we use the area of 10 1/2 Sarasota counties to sustain our population. For SCOPE's pdf report on Sarasota County's eco-footprint, which measures how far we have to go to become sustainable, go to:
http://www.scopexcel.org/communitytools/communitytools_reportcard.html
You can sign up to receive future installments of the report card at the SCOPE Web site:
http://www.scope-crc.blogspot.com/
Contributed by Kate Irwin, SCOPE <http://www.scopexcel.org >
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TRUE EFFECTS OF HIGHER CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS ON TREES

Their Bark Is Worse For Our Blight

Decade-long study says trees may not be good at offsetting carbon
Step away from the vegetation, treehuggers, and find something else to embrace. New research finds that when it comes to offsetting greenhouse gases, trees may not be up to the challenge. For 10 years, Duke University researchers plied a stand of North Carolina loblolly pines with higher-than-normal levels of carbon dioxide; they found that the foliaged friends grew more than non-gassed trees, but did not consistently absorb significantly higher levels of CO2. "The responses are very variable according to how available other resources are -- nutrients and water -- that are necessary for tree growth," says researcher Heather McCarthy. "It's really not anywhere near the magnitude that we would really need to offset emissions." For tree planting to have a discernible offsetting effect under the conditions they tested, the amount of fertilizer required would impact groundwater quality at a level "intolerable to society," says project director Ram Oren. Sigh. Ocean-hugging, anyone?

From Grist.org
straight to the source: Wilmington Star-News , Associated Press, Margaret Lillard, 08 Aug 2007
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SEEING IS BELIEVING: TRUE CHANGES RECORDED OVER 30 YEARS IN PHOTOS

Be sure and order this new book entitled Earth Under Fire by Gary Braasch ( University of California Press , 2007) on amazon.com. This book depicts incredible photos of 30 year time lags for glaciers, Mt. Kilamanjaro and other sites where the impacts of climate change are breath taking.
And on a local note, Gary was a community lecturer for the TREE Foundation in Sarasota only 2 years ago -- so we got the inside scoop to his amazing work before the rest of the world. This book is sure to sell out quickly -- I already bought multiple copies.

Contributed by Meg Lowman, Climate Change Conversation committee member for Florida Cabinet, New College of Florida
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TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES
Looking for a bulletproof argument on immediate climate action? Take 9 minutes to view this YouTube piece. We can all use this clear, logical, 4-square presentation on true/false, act/ don't act.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zORv8wwiadQ
Contributed by Bonnie Nickel
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TRUE COLORS
The Alliance for Climate Protection released a smart short video, the first in their national ad campaign, demonstrating how CO2 is produced by home appliances and systems. It's easy to e-mail the link to people who don't "get it" yet. Check it out:
http://www.climateprotect.org/ah12
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GOOD ORGANIC PRODUCE if you want TO AVOID PESTICIDE RESIDUES

>From Grist.org:

So you want to buy organic food, but you can't afford to convert to an all-organic diet? Advice maven Umbra Fisk helps a stay-at-home mom who's shopping on one income determine which munchies should make the short list when it comes to shelling out for pesticide-free groceries -- and which ones can wait.

The 12 fruits and vegetables with the highest amount of pesticide residues are peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, imported grapes, pears, spinach, and potatoes. These are the ones to spend your money on. The 12 with the lowest residues are onions, avocado, frozen sweet corn, pineapples, mangoes, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, bananas, cabbage, broccoli, and eggplant. When short of cash, go ahead on conventionally grown versions of these.

http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2007/08/08/buyingorganic/index.html?source=weekly
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 GOOD GRAPES, bad weather

The latest addition to my garden is a small grape arbor with 3 varieties of good sweet southern Muscadines, so this Salon.com article caught my attention. (ed.)

Grape expectations
By Ann Bauer

Viticulture may be the canary in the coal mine of our planet's agricultural system. Grapevines are extremely fickle, and successful vineyards require a very delicate calibration of temperature, growing season, rain and light. Different varietals need different amounts, of course: Zinfandel grapes thrive on heat and direct sun, whereas the notoriously temperamental pinot noir starts to lose its delicate flavor and aroma when exposed to temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius for even a short period of time. By watching the way global warming is affecting vintners, scientists are able to track a so-called environmental envelope for wine -- one that is migrating from the approximate center of the earth ( California , southern France , Italy , Australia , Chile and Spain ) toward the polar extremes.

"There's a combination of temperature, moisture, slope, latitude and soil quality that goes into the total envelope for wine," says Noah Diffenbaugh, a climate scientist and professor of earth and atmospheric science at Purdue University . "Temperature is only part of the equation, but we do know that one result of excess greenhouse gas concentrations is the frequency of severely hot days. And these will have a very negative effect on most grapevines."
http://www.salon.com/mwt/food/eat_drink/2007/08/28/globalwarming_wine/index.html?source=newsletter

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Lest we grow comfortable, here's a challenging piece. How much is enough to do?

Altar Call for True Believers

by Janisse Ray
Even the so-called choir seems to be failing at making great strides toward sustainability. Are we just talking about change?
http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/342

If you read just one periodical for environmental news, inspiration, and expansion of consciousness, consider Orion Magazine. The electronic edition is free. The paper edition is simply gorgeous. You can request a free trial issue at:
https://subscribe.pcspublink.com/subscribeFormGeneric.asp?track=JFT07&pub=ORIN&term=6
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How's CHINA 'S ENVIRONMENT? NOT SO GOOD

"The Chinese Miracle Will End Soon"

The world has been dazzled in recent years by the economic strides being made by China . But it has come at a huge cost to the country's environment. Pollution is a serious and costly problem. Pan Yue of the ministry of the environment says these problems will soon overwhelm the country and will create millions of "environmental refugees."

Spiegel Magazine, contributed by Tony Obermeit of Brisbane, Australia
http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,345694,00.html
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A VIEW FROM SINGAPORE:
WARS IN MIDDLE EAST DISTRACT U.S. FROM TRUE URGENCY OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Modern Singapore's Creator Is Alert to Perils
By SETH MYDANS and WAYNE ARNOLD
New York Times, September 2, 2007

Lee Kuan Yew, who turned a malarial island into a modern financial center with a first-world skyline, is peering ahead again into this city-state's future, this time with an idea to seal it off with dikes against the rising tides of global warming. . . .
"If the water goes up by three, four, five meters, what will happen to us?" he said, laughing. "Half of Singapore will disappear."
. . . . One of his concerns now, Mr. Lee said, is that the United States has become so preoccupied with the Middle East that it is failing to look ahead and plan in this part of the world.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/world/asia/02singapore.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
New York Times online available by free subscription
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Can't see dikes around Singapore ? Okay then, how about a more conventional solution promoted as GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, GOOD FOR BUSINESS ?
 
The Union of Concerned Scientists website www.ucsusa.org is full of clear explanations of climate change issues as well as ideas for solutions. Here, for example, is their explanation of cap and trade.
 

Cap-and-Trade: Policy Framework for Reducing Global Warming Emissions

Demonstrated Success
An emissions permit trading program, commonly referred to as a "cap-and-trade" system, draws on the power of the market to reduce pollution in a cost-effective and flexible manner. The system was first applied to air pollutants through the Clean Air Act amendments, which established a cap-and-trade system to limit emissions of sulfur dioxide, the primary cause of acid rain.  The program was a tremendous success, allowing companies to reduce their emissions at a fraction of the expected cost. Using this approach to reduce emissions of heat-trapping gases would help curb global warming at the lowest possible cost.

How it Works
First, a "cap" is established that limits emissions from a designated group of polluters, such as power plants, typically to a level lower than current emissions. The emissions allowed under the new cap are then divided into individual permits—usually equal to one ton of pollution—that represent the right to emit that amount. These permits are then distributed either by a public auction or direct allocation to the emitters.

Companies are free to buy and sell permits in order to continue operating in the most profitable manner available to them. Those that are able to reduce emissions at a low cost may choose to maximize their emission reductions and sell their remaining permits to companies facing higher reduction costs.

A key advantage of a cap-and-trade system over other emission reduction strategies is that it gives companies the flexibility to achieve their emission targets in the most affordable way possible, while setting a clear limit on overall emissions. Since the cap is fixed, the environmental outcome is guaranteed.

Contributed by June Cussen
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And if you're not in a position to cap or trade, you probably still have laundry, right?
BEAUTIFUL FRESH AIR LAUNDRY

Want to reduce that high energy bill you see every month (not to mention reduce carbon usage)? Clothes dryers are energy hogs: 6-10 per cent of residential energy usage. Hang 'em outside on a clothesline, if you can. A lot of communities prohibit this (something about how 'lower-class' it looks). Project Laundry List (see www.laundrylist.org <http://www.laundrylist.org> ) is trying to pass legislation in North Carolina and Vermont that would prevent community associations from prohibiting clotheslines. Amazingly, Florida already has a law on the books that protects our right to use clotheslines! So if your community association prohibits it you can call them on it. See Florida Statute - Section 163.04 - Florida Solar Rights Law.

    And even if you can't hang your clothes outside, you can dry most of your laundry well and fast right in your laundry room. Give it a try. At the very least don't completely dry your towels in the dryer. Let them finish on the towel rack. And watch your electricity bill go down.
 Contributed by June Cussen

That's it for now,

--Lea Hall, Sarasota Network for Climate Action (SNCA)
www.sarasotaclimate.org