Word: co2
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That's debatable, to say the least. There's no question that a nuclear plant, once it's up and running, produces comparatively little carbon dioxide - a British government report last year found that a nuclear plant emits just 2% to 6% of the CO2 per kilowatt-hour as natural gas, the cleanest fossil fuel - but nuclear energy still seems like the power of yesterday. After a burst of construction between the 1950s and late 1970s, a new nuclear power plant hasn't come on line in the U.S. since 1996, and some nations like Germany are looking to phase...
...forms. The first is the batch of global mechanisms set up under the Kyoto agreement and administered by the U.N., of which the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is the most important. If a country with a Kyoto target finds it too difficult or costly to reduce its CO2 emissions, it can instead buy "certified emission reductions" from developing countries (which have no such targets). "Certified" means the U.N. has to be satisfied that the reduction would not have occurred anyway and that it has not been offset by increased emissions elsewhere (if, say, it has been achieved by a factory...
...like credit card debt. Some actions, like commuting in a gasoline-powered car, have obvious carbon costs. Others are less clear but still significant. Take your diet: livestock are responsible for an estimated 18% of global carbon emissions, so when you chow down a hamburger, you're effectively emitting CO2 as well. Even something as small as an iPod Nano will add to your carbon footprint, thanks to both the energy used to produce and ship it and the energy later needed to charge it (68 lbs. of CO2 over its lifetime, according to the British design consultancy...
Carbonrally's challenges offer a useful start. A recent contest involved giving up meat for two days, which would reduce carbon emissions by 13.2 lbs. Another called on competitors to unplug their computers every night for one month, which cuts CO2 by 51 lbs. Each contest illustrates a basic way to shrink your footprint: remove meat from your diet, drive or fly less and just reduce the amount of power you use at home whenever possible, either through conservation or with appliances that are more energy-efficient. Winners get small prizes like tote bags--and green bragging rights. (Those...
Given that global CO2 emissions total more than 28 billion tons a year, however, that still doesn't add up to a whole lot. Indeed, since carbon emissions will continue to rise in the developing world no matter what we do, it's worth asking why we should even bother to change our lifestyles. One reason is to show others how it can be done. "None of us believes this will end climate change," says Annabelle Gurwitch, who hosts a show on footprinting called Wa$ted! on the new network Planet Green. "But it lets people feel effective...