OBI President Bill Horan demonstrates a solar ovenMost of us in the developed world don't think a lot about the source of fuel we use for cooking: unless there's a power outage, we can turn a knob or press a button, and we've got the heat we need. If we've got a gas stovetop, we don't even need the electricity! We know, of course, that people in the developing world generally aren't this fortunate, and wood-gathering is a necessary part of the food preparation ritual. But what do people in poverty do if wood supplies start to run low because of deforestation, desertification, or just a simple lack of usable wood?

In Gansu, China, a region that receives little rainfall and has no trees, a very old technology has provided a solution: the solar oven. The concept of using a curved mirror to focus sunlight, and the heat it provides, has been around since the ancient Greeks; relief and development agency Operation Blessing International has purchased and installed over 200 of these ovens (made from concrete and mirrors) in Gansu. The program has been so popular that the organization has just released funding for 200 more in the region. According to Operation Blessing president Bill Horan,

"In Gansu, like in many other poverty-stricken regions around the world, firewood is as precious as water. There are virtually no trees here, and so little rain, that the only bath most people take in their whole life is on their wedding day. These solar ovens are based on ancient technology and they are eco-friendly - a totally renewable energy source."

OBI is considering taking the program to another devastated region of the world: the Darfur region of the Sudan, where the organization operates several refugee and relief camps in partnership with a German charity.

We Westerners tend to associate "technology" with the latest devices: computers, cell phones, renewable energy installations, etc. This simple, time-tested technology, though, looks like just the thing for impoverished people around the world. And, even with the high carbon emissions associated with concrete production, this looks like a pretty climate-friendly alternative, too…

Operation Blessing International
Wikipedia: Solar Cooker
Video: Operation Blessing in Gansu, China (Windows Media format)

As Maria reported this morning, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change did release the findings of Working Group III today, which focuses on the steps the global community must take to mitigate the worst effects of climate change.

On one hand, the report was hopeful: we can lessen the effects of global warming with quick, substantive, mandatory action by the world's governments. Furthermore, the costs of such actions would be relatively low, and much of the technology needed already exists. On the other hand, the report does recommend the use of advanced nuclear power (let the arguments on this one begin!), and carbon capture and storage, which is not a fully developed technology.

We've gathered some of the responses to today's report, and provided excerpts below. Please let us know about others in the comments.

Environmental Defense: “We have a window of opportunity, but it won't stay open forever,” said Steve Cochran, national climate campaign director at Environmental Defense . “Anyone pushing for delay is pushing for higher costs and longer odds.”

The Apollo Alliance: “The experts agree. If we act now, we can win the fight on global warming. As today’s IPCC report shows, with strong leadership and the right solutions, we can tackle the challenge of global warming while also creating new opportunities for jobs and growth through increased economic activity.

“By expanding the production of biofuels, we can promote energy security, strengthen our trade position and create jobs in agricultural communities. By investing in renewable electricity we will create economic activity while decreasing air pollution and its associated health care costs. And by making wise investments in new technology, we can reinvigorate our economy though the creation of good, new clean energy jobs in the manufacturing and construction sectors.

“We can no longer ignore the facts. Global warming is happening, and if left untreated, the effects will be devastating for our planet and future generations. We have the solutions, now let’s fulfill our responsibility as Americans and international citizens and do everything we can to reduce global warming pollution.” — Apollo Alliance president Jerome Ringo

National Wildlife Federation: “The world’s scientific experts are giving us all the information we need. This latest report provides unmistakable clarity that we must act now, and that solutions are within reach to avoid the worst effects of global warming.

“Global warming is happening now. Our dependency on fossil fuels like oil and coal is causing the problem, and humans and wildlife are feeling the heat. We have a clear path to move forward with solutions that will curb rising global warming pollution, but only if we act with leadership and resolve.

“Scientists are telling us that we must start reducing global warming pollution immediately to limit further warming. Only by acting now can we prevent catastrophic environmental and economic damage that our children will otherwise face. America can do this if we set our mind to it.

“To limit global warming, we must start now and put ourselves on track to reduce pollution by two percent each and every year, ultimately cutting pollution by 80 percent by mid-century. We can do that." — NWF President Larry Schweiger

National Audubon Society: “This latest report from the world’s scientists makes it clear that people and governments have it within their power to curb global warming, but that time is running short. Humans caused the problem, and it’s up to humans to fix it.

“There is much good news here and even reason for optimism if we listen and heed the call to action. The report confirms that many of the technologies we need to address the problem already exist and simply need to be deployed in a serious way. The U.S. can start filling the scientists’ prescription by rapidly adopting emissions caps, renewable electricity standards, energy conservation measures, and improving fuel efficiency.

“The report makes it clear that voluntary measures have had no effect—these cannot be take ‘em or leave ‘em approaches. The world’s best scientists are telling us that it will take serious changes backed by the force of law if we want to minimize the risk to people and wildlife" — Audubon Society President John Flicker

National Environmental Trust: "After all the bad news from scientists on global warming, today we got some good news. The IPCC said that we can avert the worst impacts at a remarkably low price. The U.S. and the world simply need to make more efficient use of our energy and invest in cleaner technologies for the future.

"This newest report confirms that a small investment now is far better than bankrupting the treasury later by trying to build sea walls from Miami to Maine. " — Vice President for Climate Programs Angela Anderson

BioFuels Watch (UK): "It is already clear that the burgeoning demand for biofuels that has been created to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is actually increasing them by deforestation in the tropics and accelerating climate change. So far, only 1% of global transport fuel comes from biofuels, yet already biofuels cause steep rises in grain and vegetable oil prices, threatening the food security of poor people and spurring agricultural expansion into forests and grasslands, on which we depend for a stable climate." — Almuth Ernsting

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): “The longer we wait, the more we will pay to fix this problem. The solutions are here. What we need is the leadership to make it happen,” said Daniel Lashof, PhD, the science director of the Climate Center at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The cost of cleaner, more efficient energy technologies pales in comparison to the sweeping impacts on our health and our economy if we continue to do nothing.”

“The IPCC has now completed its triple crown,” Lashof added. “The world’s leading scientists have told us that heat-trapping pollution is causing global warming, that global warming threatens unprecedented disruption of our way of life, and now most importantly that we know how to solve the problem. There are simply no more excuses for denial and delay.”

Friends of the Earth: “The report looks like a compromise rather than a serious plan. It offers something for everyone without making the tough choices,” Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder said. “Some of these recommendations make a lot of sense, but unfortunately, some of them—especially the push for nuclear power—move us in the wrong direction. Nuclear power threatens humans and the environment. It is not necessary to combat climate change.” …

“The IPCC got a number of things right,” Blackwelder said. “Increasing energy efficiency and using clean energy sources such as wind power are steps that can be taken right now to reduce global warming—without damaging other parts of the environment. Let’s focus on those measures, and not nuclear power, which has such harmful side effects.”

U.S. PIRG: “This report provides a roadmap on how to avoid the worst effects of global warming, but we have to start moving right now,” said Ben Dunham, Staff Attorney for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. “The sooner we act, the sooner we start improving energy security, creating jobs, and protecting future generations from the worst effects of global warming,” he added.

Of course, we're also interested in your response… fire away!

Environment News Service

In his excellent book Plan B 2.0, agricultural economist and environmental visionary Lester Brown notes one potential downside to recent pushes for increased production of ethanol: the emergence of a battle in the marketplace between those who buy grain for food, and those who buy it for fuel. The winner of this battle isn't nearly so important as the losers: consumers who will end up paying higher prices for food. In the developed world, the blow won't be felt so hard; in the developing world, this could lead to starvation and political instability.

Brown addresses these concerns in an essay at Environmental News Network (ENN), and notes that the figures publicized by the US Department of Agriculture likely lowball the problem:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects that distilleries will require only 60 million tons of corn from the 2008 harvest. But here at the Earth Policy Institute (EPI), we estimate that distilleries will need 139 million tons—more than twice as much. If the EPI estimate is at all close to the mark, the emerging competition between cars and people for grain will likely drive world grain prices to levels never seen before. The key questions are: How high will grain prices rise? When will the crunch come? And what will be the worldwide effect of rising food prices? …

The competition for grain between the world’s 800 million motorists who want to maintain their mobility and its 2 billion poorest people who are simply trying to survive is emerging as an epic issue. Soaring food prices could lead to urban food riots in scores of lower-income countries that rely on grain imports, such as Indonesia, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, and Mexico. The resulting political instability could in turn disrupt global economic progress, directly affecting all countries. It is not only food prices that are at stake, but trends in the Nikkei Index and the Dow Jones Industrials as well.

Brown believes the answer to this conundrum lies in 1) focusing on development of hybrid-electric automobiles, and 2) accelerating the process of producing cellulosic-based ethanol from agricultural residues and plants such as switchgrass. Politicians love ethanol, especially since it benefits politically powerful farm states. Brown's observations demonstrate the complexity of the move to greater ethanol use, and the dangers of looking too hard for a "silver bullet" to energy issues.

ENN: "World May Be Facing Highest Grain Prices in History"