Archive for the ‘Climate Change’ Category

The E.Q. of Climate Change

By Tina Prigge on February 19th, 2010

I enjoyed the article in the Feb. 17, 2010, Marketplace section of the Wall Street Journal by Ilan Brat titled “The Emotional Quotient of Soup Shopping: Campbell’s Taps ‘Neuromarketing’ Techniques to Find Why Shelf Displays Left Some Customers Cold.”

This got me thinking about climate change legislation.

Unlike Campbell’s soup, climate change legislation has not been immortalized by Andy Warhol so it does not have that in its favor. Could legislators, however, take a cue from the Campbell’s playbook to figure out what prompts people to support climate change initiatives and finally legislation?

In its research, Campbell’s discovered that the image of the spoon on its label is unnecessary as it had little to do with emotional response.  What is the “spoon” equivalent in current climate change legislation that could be dispensed with to make it more ‘palatable’?

Adding steam to the image, it was discovered, helped people become more emotionally engaged with the product. What, then, is the steam needed to warm up (excuse the pun) the climate change legislation? What is the untapped emotional quotient of climate change?

I’m going to think about it over a nice, hot, steamy updated bowl of soup!

What is it that you think makes the climate change language less palatable to the general public and/or what will make climate change legislation more popular with the public?

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Regardless of belief, saving money a good thing

By Kevin Braley on February 12th, 2010

The science of climate change is in disarray.

Controversies surrounding a leak of e-mails from leading scientists suggest their years of work was more about manipulating data to save their jobs than seeking truth through research. (Although the London-based Guardian newspaper published a lengthy article after examining all e-mails, and concluded they were taken completely out of context and opined the scientists did nothing to manipulate data.)

And a recent article in the Wall Street Journal says the climate change camp is facing another challenge as the conduct of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has been questioned, and its chairman, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, has been called to resign.

We have recognized the recent controversies surrounding climate change, but what rises above the debate is the fact that by deploying energy-efficient technologies, companies are reducing their energy consumption and reducing their costs — saving money they can carry through to their bottom line.

And saving money in this economy is a good thing.

Furthermore, what can’t be disputed is that the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity creates toxic gases like carbon dioxide, mercury, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide. The release of these toxins into the atmosphere could cause problems for our children and grandchildren.

For example, the toxicity of carbon dioxide has been recognized by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, which recommends healthy adults shouldn’t be exposed to more than 5,000 parts per million, or 0.5 percent. The maximum safe level for infants, children and the elderly is significantly less.

Prolonged exposure to elevated levels of carbon dioxide can cause drowsiness, headache, dim vision, difficulty breathing and loss of consciousness, and, in extreme cases, death.

Whether you believe that these toxic gases contribute to climate change, you can’t dispute that reducing the amount of these emissions in the atmosphere is a good thing. And by using less electricity, you’ll help reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere since the fossil-fuel power plant won’t have to generate as much electricity for your operations.

Rather than dwelling on whether the science of climate change makes sense, realize that energy-efficiency makes dollars and cents.

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