What About the Non-Believers?

What About the Non-BelieversWhen asked to support sustainability programs such as a student internship or green living program, some university community members may ask whether now is the appropriate time to act given the uncertainties about climate change. When trying to make the case that the problem is real and demands action now, you can draw on the following resources and lines of reasoning.

A Compelling Body of Supporting Evidence

Members of the scientific community generally agree that the world is warming, that climate is being affected, and that human activities are significantly contributing to the problem.10 Statements to this effect have been issued by the following organizations:

Uncertainties Do Not Justify Inaction

It is true that questions remain about the timing and degree of continued warming. Likewise, the types, magnitude and location of climate change and its impacts on humans and ecosystems cannot be pinpointed. Such uncertainty is to be expected in a problem that involves highly complex systems and predictions of future events. If we wait for a complete understanding of climate change, our window of opportunity to counteract it may pass. The IPCC has laid out mitigation strategies that focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.11 There are a number of ways this can be achieved, and it is time to take action.

World Leaders Responding

As of spring 2004, 189 countries had signed or ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.12 By doing so, they recognized, albeit in a "general and flexible way," the problem of global climate change and agreed to develop programs to address it.13 More recently, 128 countries ratified the Kyoto Protocol, which went into effect on February 16, 2005 and thereby committed 30 industrialized countries to individual, legally binding limits or reductions on their greenhouse gas emissions.14

World leaders in economics, human health, business and education are also starting to take action:

  • World Bank15
  • World Health Organization16
  • World Economic Forum17
  • United Nations18
  • University Leaders for a Sustainable Future19

Although the United States administration has refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, in effect avoiding specific emissions commitments, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is taking steps on a number of levels to combat climate change.20

Local Communities Take Action

The movement toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions is happening more and more on the local level.21 Five hundred cities and towns are participating in Cities for Climate Protection, a program developed by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives to help local governments reduce emissions.22 Universities are also leading the way in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by implementing energy efficiency and conservation measures and by purchasing renewable energy.23

The Bottom Line and Other Rationale

If your audience remains unmoved by the environmental basis for a campus sustainability program, then there is always the economic approach. Sustainability is achieved through the efficient use of energy and material resources, which can save your college or university dollars. For more on this and other program benefits that might influence decision-makers at your institution, read on.