‘Green cities’ all talk, no action on global-warming cuts

Global warming, Mark Twain might say, is like the weather: Everybody talks about it but nobody ever does anything about it.

About a dozen states and several hundred cities in the United States have pledged to cut their greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to follow the example of Europe and Japan. Many Americans in opinion polls say they are worried about a climate catastrophe, and Congress under Democratic control is vowing for the first time in years to do something to prevent it.

But taking the drastic actions required to cut emissions to levels that many scientists say would be benign for the environment is another thing entirely.

California, for example, recently enacted a law requiring dramatic cuts in greenhouse gases — principally carbon dioxide from cars and power plants — but it does not require serious action for 15 years. Energy analysts there say most people are carrying on with business as usual with little thought of changing their driving or other energy-consuming habits.

A recent study by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, an environmental and community activist group, found that “green” cities are making little headway toward meeting their pledges to cut emissions to 7 percent below 1990 levels as targeted by the Kyoto global warming treaty, with most instead reporting their emissions have increased between 7 percent and 27 percent.

“It will be a major challenge” to achieve those goals, said John Bailey, author of the report.

Though the Kyoto targets would not cut emissions as drastically as many scientists believe is necessary to prevent global warming, just complying with the treaty would require more than a one-third cut in energy use and emissions by Americans, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

To avoid global warming, scientists and environmentalists say emissions must be cut by as much as 90 percent below 1990 levels. The biggest reductions in use of oil, coal and other fossil fuels would be required in the United States because the nation is by far the world’s biggest energy consumer and producer of carbon emissions — consuming one-fourth of the world’s energy though it has only one-20th of the world’s population.

Though the spirit may be willing, the flesh is weak. The institute’s report found that few of the “green” cities have significantly increased spending on more efficient buildings or transportation systems despite their commitment to the Kyoto goals, and the ones that have made progress have done so because they rely on emissions-free hydroelectric power plants that have been in place for decades or were aided by state and federal fuel-efficiency mandates.

Surveys show that while Americans may vote for politicians who say they are concerned about the environment and patronize businesses that they believe are environmentally friendly, they do little to curb their own carbon emissions from driving and power use.

A survey by Deloitte & Touche in the summer found virtually no change in consumer energy use and driving habits despite grumbling about skyrocketing heating and electric bills and gasoline prices that twice reached more than $3 a gallon since 2005.

Americans also have been slow to spend more to buy more fuel-efficient cars and appliances and make their homes more energy efficient. Interest in buying more fuel-efficient cars typically ticks up when gas prices spike, but it subsides just as quickly when prices decline, with consumers quickly resuming their love affair with gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles, according to Cars.com, an Internet car-buying service.

Energy fuels lifestyle

Why are Americans so poor at saving energy despite good intentions? One reason is that the heavy use of energy has made life easier for most Americans and is ingrained in the American lifestyle — from turning on the air conditioner as soon as the temperature hits 80 degrees to using the elevator instead of the stairs and driving cars to work instead of walking or using mass transit.

Americans and businesses frequently have to use their cars and trucks for day-to-day necessities and cannot easily find substitutes for transportation, according to an analysis by the Energy Research Foundation Inc.

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