THE DAILY ASTORIAN (Oregon)

Thursday, January 18, 2007

No longer taboo

National Parks Service moves bring warming trend to forefront

After six years spent ruthlessly suppressing any official recognition that global warming is caused by humans and demands urgent attention, interesting signs are emerging that the Bush administration is getting the point.

Not long ago, it was a career-killer for any federal employee to say climate change is real and to advocate changing the way we fuel our lives. Government reports were purged of references to human-related impacts on climate or softened to the point of irrelevancy. Never before in national history has ignorance been so deliberately woven into government science and policy.

In some ways, the war on reality continues. Carbon-based energy producers spend millions in support of phony "science," providing excuses for inaction. At the same time, the loudmouths of talk radio make it into a political issue rather than a scientific one, somehow painting the whole matter as a liberal conspiracy. The last time we checked, liberals enjoyed driving cars and turning on light switches as much as conservatives do.

In fact, modifying our lifestyles to limit the impacts of global warming is itself an inherently conservative decision. Only by prompt and meaningful action can we hope to conserve the quality of life we enjoy today. There is nothing more conservative than protecting what we have and bequeathing it to the future.

One of the most encouraging signs of Bush administration awakening on climate change is the attention now being given to the issue by the National Park Service. According to Sustainability News, "Seven national parks have hosted workshops as part of the Climate Friendly Parks Program, a collaboration between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Park Service. Workshops help park employees and partners identify actions to mitigate the negative environmental impacts of climate change. "

Actions range from limiting traffic in Yosemite National Park with a comprehensive shuttle bus system to innovative operations management at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, where warming is quickly converting glacial valleys into fjords. Glacier Bay Utilities Supervisor Arch R. Thompson says "We are evaluating biodiesel use in generators while the park remains on a list of buyers in need of a biodiesel fuel supplier. Our staff communicates about the importance of reducing the park's entire waste stream. By buying smarter, buying

only what we need, and making wise choices about what we buy, the park has improved its numbers."

This is the kind of response to global warming that is most likely to succeed, politically and practically. Pragmatic and cost-effective steps, not radical transformation, are what we must take as individuals and as a nation.

It is a relief that the Bush administration is beginning to allow implementation and discussion of such actions. Other climate-change skeptics should take heed.

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posted to ClimateConcern