The changing energy climate
Re “How to chill,” editorial, Nov. 26
As a geologist, I know there is overwhelming evidence that the climate has changed rapidly in the past, and I see much credible scientific evidence that it is quickly changing again. I appreciate your guidance to corporations, regulators and politicians, and I look forward to some advice to the average citizen on “adapting.” An ordinary person’s education on a three-degree temperature change by 2050 could include:
* Relocate a home destroyed by flood, ocean storms or fire if you want your heirs to enjoy it.
* Design your landscaping for a higher arid tree line if you want someone else to sit under the tree you plant.
* Clean up and conserve your water so that those who follow won’t have to go to Oregon for a drink.
* Reconsider your tastes in food, entertainment and all manner of consumption while remembering that children learn from our actions more than our words.
* Learn success strategies from your grandparents about the Depression, because they lived through economic redistribution.
Elizabeth Erickson
La Crescenta
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The editorial doesn’t mention one obvious way to save energy with existing technologies. Homeowners can install photovoltaic solar panels and, under current law, receive credit for the electricity they generate up to their annual usage. But the utility does not require homeowners to be paid for electricity that they generate over that amount. As a result, when I installed solar panels on my roof six months ago, I bought just enough to generate what we consume in a year. If the law required utility companies to pay consumers for all the power generated over the amount they use, homeowners would install more solar panels. I suspect that a good portion (if not all) of the state’s electricity needs could be generated in this way. Is anybody out there working to change the law?
Julian Weissglass
Santa Barbara
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The Times is spot-on about the important role energy-efficient appliances and buildings play in our fight against global warming. The editorial, however, completely misses why Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed three efficiency bills, including one that would have put Californians at risk by requiring building studs to be placed farther apart and by altering the guidelines for planting vegetation for shade -- violating state fire standards. The other bills would have created a bias for certain building materials, putting California-based businesses at an unfair disadvantage with no apparent energy benefits.
The governor has directed the California Building Standards Commission to work with state agencies on adopting green building standards for residential, commercial and public construction. These new codes will go into effect in 2010, well in advance of the schedule envisioned in the bills. California is on the right track to implementing additional green building standards, and I’m proud that my agency is leading the way.
Rosario Marin
Secretary
State and Consumer
Services Agency
Sacramento