February Membership Meeting:  Global Climate Change


At the February LWVGB membership meeting Dr. Joyce Lanning shared information on the science of global warming with a program based on Al Gore's slide show on climate change. She also provided information and resources for individuals who want to take action to reduce their personal "carbon footprint."

Dr. Joyce Lanning retired from UAB after a career in Health Care Organization and Policy in the School of Public Health. Although she says she stayed busy after retiring, she had no "primary cause" until she saw the movie, "An Inconvenient Truth".

Dr. Lanning told us that this issue engaged both her head and her heart.  It began after being "blown away" by the movie. After visiting the internet site www.theclimateproject.org she signed up for a presenter training session in Nashville. These two-day training programs familiarize volunteers with the science of climate change, equip them with skills and materials for presenting the program and add them to the online community that updates lecturers with the latest information.

Dr. Lanning is aware that some people have strong feelings about Al Gore, so stipulated that the story is the about message, not the messenger.  The message is: Global Warming is Real.

Although the natural greenhouse effect has kept us comfortable for about 8,000 years, human activity is disrupting the natural systems that disperse heat back into space.  Because the Polar Regions serve as the earth’s air conditioners, a 5 degree increase in overall global temperature would equal a 12 degree increase at the poles.

In the United States, the per capita average carbon dioxide "footprint" per year is 20.2 metric tons." The goal of The Climate Project is to help individuals achieve a carbon neutral life style. In addition to resources available at www.theclimateproject.org, Dr Lanning recommended a book written by David Gershon, "Low Carbon Diet: A 30 Day Program to Lose 5000 Pounds--Be Part of the Global Warming Solution!"