Published Wednesday, March 29, 2000

Time to come clean for Mother Earth

Denis Hayes

When someone asks "Do you know where your energy comes from?" you probably think of the oil, gas or electric heat that warms your home during winter. Would it surprise you to know that nearly seven of every 10 homes in this state are powered by coal? Sounds awfully 19th-century, doesn't it? But the dirty truth is that the polluting energy systems we rely on today have not fundamentally changed since Thomas Edison turned on the lights 120 years ago, and Henry Ford started cranking out Model T's.

Thanks to strong local activism and the farsightedness of several key legislators who pushed for critical clean-energy mandates, we have made tremendous progress in the use of renewable energy sources. In fact, Minnesota boasts some of the nation's largest wind projects, and has already built or planned more than 800 megawatts of wind energy for the state. But there is plenty of room to grow; the energy from clean, renewable sources now makes up only about 1 percent of the state's total energy.

Dirty energy sources, like coal and oil, are the cause of some startling environmental damage. Scientific experts agree that fossil fuel use is changing the world's climate, causing the serious problem of global warming. Unfortunately, Minnesota could see many significant changes as a result of a rise in global temperatures.

Our agriculture, forests and prairies are threatened: Warmer temperatures mean a longer season of pests and diseases, increased rainfall intensity causing soil erosion, and a decline in overall crop yields. Trees species unable to adapt to the swift temperature change will either migrate north out of Minnesota into Canada, or become extinct. Also, our prairie wetlands, which depend on reliable precipitation and consistent temperatures, would be threatened by global warming.

Our health is in danger: Mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants cause neurological damage in people and may affect survival of fish and wildlife, threatening both our health and our way of life. Experts project that by 2005, mercury emissions from electric utilities will make up approximately 42 percent of Minnesota mercury emissions.

Our economy is at risk: Minnesota's beautiful lakes are popular tourist destinations and the sportfishing industry brings in about $1 billion a year. But that industry is threatened – lakes in northern Minnesota could see ice melt four to five weeks earlier and ice and snow thickness reduced by 50 percent, reducing opportunities for ice fishers and snowmobilers. Additionally, warmer waters threaten cold-water fish habitats, significantly reducing populations of trout.

Fortunately, there's a solution.

Minnesota has made great progress toward a sustainable energy future. Successful wind farms and legislative mandates are just the beginning. In Minneapolis and St. Paul, green building efforts by both public and private organizations have resulted in more energy-efficient home building practices. But we can do more to help stabilize and ultimately reduce emissions through energy efficiency and renewable power.

The Earth Day Clean Energy Agenda, developed by a coalition of major environmental organizations in the United States, is a blueprint for a rapid transition to clean, renewable energy. It calls on individuals, businesses and elected leaders to choose:

• Clean power, from renewable sources such as solar and wind.
  
• Clean air, by lessening power plant pollution.
  
• Clean cars, by promoting new, clean vehicles and by bringing sport-utility vehicles up to the standards of other cars.
  
• Clean investments, by increasing government investments in renewable energy and reducing subsidies for nonrenewable fossil fuels.