Curbing Global Warming

Larry and Laurie David want you to consider driving a hybrid car. In fact, it's so important to them that they're giving away the hybrid Toyota Prius that Larry's alter-ego drives on his HBO show "Curb Your Enthusiasm" in an effort to raise awareness about the effects of global warming. In a contest sponsored by MTVU, the fuel-efficient car will be the grand prize for one lucky college student who joins Laurie David's virtual march against global warming. The march is Laurie's brainchild -- an attempt to increase awareness about global warming and force policymakers in Washington, D.C. to address a problem that Laurie says will be devastating if it remains ignored. But the movement isn't based in a cramped office. Its headquarters is located at www.stopglobalwarming.org. "In the old days you'd march in the streets but unfortunately, the last few marches we've had in this country haven't worked. They end up being 30 seconds on the evening news," Laurie said. "So we came up this idea that we'll march on the Internet. And we'll march for a year. Every single day for a year toward Washington (D.C.), building the number of marchers so big and making so much noise that nobody can ignore this issue anymore." The march has already built quite a bit of steam. Since its start last April, 121,139 people have joined the cause, including Walter Kronkite, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Jon Fishman, former drummer of Phish. Laurie says the march is able to draw an eclectic mix of people because it's a non-partisan cause. This is especially important in a time of such political division in America. "This is not a political issue. This is a moral issue," Laurie said. Larry David believes people are drawn to the cause for a different reason. He says it's a way to do something without actually having to do anything at all. "I'm the laziest man in the world and I signed up," Larry said. "If I had to walk a block, I may not have done it, but all I had to do is go on the Internet."
Heated argument
The theory of global warming is relatively easy to understand. In laymen's terms, the earth is heating up and scientists seem to agree that the increase in temperatures is a result of planetary abuse at the hands of humans. Laurie said the common consensus is that greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and other pollutants caused by car emissions and industrial technology are to blame. "Global warming is power plants and cars and carbon emissions going into the atmosphere and staying there warming the planet and causing all kinds of climate problems," Laurie said. While a rise in temperature may not seem like the end of the world, it very well could be. The effects of global warming are serious and severe, including ozone depletion, sea level rise and an increase in extreme weather. Laurie views the severity of Hurricane Katrina as a side effect of global warming. "Nobody's going to say Katrina was caused by global warming, but warmer waters do cause hurricanes to become more fierce," Laurie said. Laurie expresses frustration that politicians and Washington policymakers, including President Bush, seem unwilling to act on the problem. The Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty organized by the United Nations, was drafted in an attempt to curb emissions in industrialized countries. As of 2004, 154 countries have joined, promising to reduce emissions of carbon and other greenhouse gases. The United States is not one of them. "We have a job here. The rest of the world is addressing this issue. We have an obligation to show them that we care about this," Laurie says. "The government has said we're not taking this seriously, so the American people have to say we're going to start taking this seriously." Laurie believes the U.S. refusal to ratify the Kyoto Protocol is a result of a national dependence on oil, one of the top emitters of dangerous greenhouse gases. But Laurie said oil isn't the only option for fueling America. She hopes the march will increase awareness about methods for fuel conservation, which Laurie says is the first step in reducing emissions. "We have to raise fuel efficiency standards on cars. We're at a 20-year low on fuel efficiency. That's insane," Laurie said. But the march is already making headway in this area. Its sixth stop on the cross-country march was Indianapolis, home of the Indy 500, where cars in the race will be fueled with ethanol, a cleaner alternative to diesel fuel, as early as next year. According to www.stopglobalwarming.org, the 10 percent ethanol blend of fuel will decrease emissions caused by the race by up to 25 percent. As early as 2007, the cars could be running on 100 percent ethanol. Laurie says stopping global warming is as simple as taking baby steps like this one. It doesn't mean drastic changes overnight -- just gradual changes over time. And while these changes may seem expensive, Laurie says the cost of not making these changes is much greater. "There are arguments that we can't afford to solve this problem or it costs too much. Believe me, it costs too much not to solve this problem and I think we just saw that clear as day (with Hurricane Katrina) in New Orleans and Mississippi," Laurie said. "We cannot afford to not solve this problem."
Simple solutions
The contest at MTVU.com is the first step in what Laurie says is a long process. It begins with raising awareness and building a movement. Steven Friedman, general manager at MTVU, said the basis of the contest is getting college students involved. "What Laurie David is doing is creating a movement and college students, who have traditionally been the engine of social change. What better way than getting college students to lead the charge?" Friedman said. Laurie says the more people join the movement, the more likely policymakers will be to make the changes necessary to reduce the damage caused by global warming. "College students have proven in the past that they can help change policy, they can affect public opinion and change the world and we desperately need their help to start addressing this issue of global warming," Laurie said. Once the ball is rolling, the next steps are much easier. "Energy efficiency, conservation, renewable energy, there's so many things that we could be doing right now. That's the other thing about this problem. We don't have to invent something. We don't have to wait a decade to come up with a solution. Most of the solutions to global warming already exist right now. These are things we should be doing anyway to make the world a better place and reduce our dependence on oil," Laurie said. She says reducing the amount of carbon emissions is as simple as paying attention to gas mileage when purchasing a vehicle, restricting the amount of fossil fuels and pollutants expelled at power plants and making fuel-economic vehicles the industry standard in America. "Basically we need a clean industrial revolution happening in this country," Laurie said. Most importantly, though, she wants to see these changes starting now. "This march is not to say that we have the solutions to everything right now. This is basically to say we have this giant crisis, this looming crisis. Are we going to ignore the warnings and do nothing? Or are we going to put our heads together and do what this country does best and come up with solutions?" Laurie said. "When Noah was warned that the floods were coming he built an arc. He didn't wait for the flood to hit to start building. He built it when he got the warnings. And that's exactly what's happening here."