The Problem

Uncontrolled carbon emissions and pollution are leading to unmanageable climate change that result in significant impacts on weather patterns, food supplies, species survival, sea level rise, spread of disease and other health issues.

In adition, our nation's K-12 schools are challenged to serve growing student populations and rising community expectations with aging buildings, constrained operating budgets, and ever-increasing energy bills. Consequently, these buildings expose students, faculty and staff to high levels of pollutants, put their health and productivity at risk, and simultaneously waste a significant amount of energy and other reasources and contribute to climate change and environmental degradation.

The 2007 report from the U.N. Foundation and Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society, entitled Confronting Climate Change: Avoiding the Unmanageable and Managing the Unavoidable, concludes that we need to stop growth in (as well as begin to reduce) greenhouse gas emissions by between 2015 and 2020 in order to forestall unmanageable climate change. Scientists worldwide agree that our climate and environmental challenges are real and imminent.

Below are some fast FACTS about: Children's Environmental Health; Climate Change; Energy; Pollution and e-Waste.

CHILDREN'S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH FACTS

The GSA gratefully acknowledges the following source of information: World Health Organization (WHO)

FACT: Environmental factors are responsible for 88% of the 1.5 million annual child deaths year due to diarrhoea. Diarrhoea is the second leading cause of death among children under five years old, with nearly one in five deaths due to diarrhoea. Around 88% of these deaths are attributable to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. Treating and safe storage of drinking water and washing hands can prevent diarrhoeal disease. Exclusive breastfeeding also helps prevent diarrhoeal disease among young children.

FACT: Half of the two million annual child deaths from acute respiratory infections are attributable to indoor air pollution. Acute respiratory infections – in particular pneumonia – are the biggest killer of young children. Nearly half of these deaths are attributable to indoor smoke from solid fuel. Second-hand tobacco smoke is another major risk factor. Children in developing countries are especially at risk due to poor housing conditions.

FACT: Asthma prevalence is rising rapidly in children. Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children and occurs in all countries. It is triggered by environmental factors such as house dust mites, second-hand smoke, moulds and pollens. Asthma can be controlled with proper diagnosis and treatment, and by reducing exposure to the environmental triggers.

FACT: In some developing regions of the world, more than one third of all children are affected by high levels of lead. Lead poisoning can alter children's brain development. It can increase the risk of behavioural and learning problems, and of cardiovascular diseases later in life. Lead is no longer used in gasoline in most countries, but children are still exposed to it from smelters, lead-based paint, recycling activities, cosmetics, herbal medicines, and other sources.

FACT:  Acute poisoning from pesticides can be life-threatening to children.  Unsafe use, storage and disposal of pesticides are the main causes of acute poisoning. Chronic, low-level exposure to pesticides is linked with neurological, developmental, reproductive and other effects in children. Exposure may result from the use of pesticides in gardens, homes and schools, agricultural drift, or through contaminated food and drinking water.

FACT: Mercury is toxic to the nervous system of the developing fetus. The fetus, newborns and children are especially susceptible to mercury exposure because of the sensitivity of the developing nervous system. Women of childbearing age and children should avoid eating large predatory, non-fatty fish (such as shark) that can have high levels of mercury. Children can also be exposed to mercury from some herbal medicines and some teething powders.

FACT: Many children in Africa and Asia are exposed to aflatoxins in foods.  Aflatoxins are toxic compounds produced by fungi that contaminate food. Maize and groundnuts are major sources of exposure. Acute poisoning from aflatoxins can be life-threatening. Over the long-term, children with chronic aflatoxin exposure may become stunted, underweight, and more susceptible to infectious diseases in childhood and later life.

FACT: Hundreds of thousands of children under the age of 15 unintentionally ingest poisonous substances, and some 35,000 of them die every year. Poisoning most commonly involves fuel, pesticides, medicines, and toxic household products. Storing these items away from children’s sight and reach, and using child-resistant packaging can save children's lives.

FACT: Environmental factors play a role in childhood cancers. While much about the origin of childhood cancers remains unknown, environmental agents such as radiation, tobacco and second-hand smoke, aflatoxins, ultraviolet light, and some pesticides play a role.

FACT: Climate change increases the risk of disease especially for children in developing countries.  Over 85% of the burden of disease of climate change is borne by children in developing countries. Children face risks of injuries and death from floods and extreme temperatures, asthma and respiratory diseases that increase in frequency with air pollution, and diarrhoeal diseases, malaria, and malnutrition related to climate change.

CLIMATE CHANGE FACTS

The GSA gratefully ackowledges the following source of information: National Geographic Society and the IPCC

Is It Happening?  Yes. The Earth is already showing many signs of worldwide climate change.

FACT: Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius) around the world since 1880, much of this in recent decades, according to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

FACT: The rate of warming is increasing. The 20th century's last two decades were the hottest in 400 years and possibly the warmest for several millennia, according to a number of climate studies. And the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that 11 of the past 12 years are among the dozen warmest since 1850.

FACT: The Arctic is feeling the effects the most. Average temperatures in Alaska, western Canada, and eastern Russia have risen at twice the global average, according to the multinational Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report compiled between 2000 and 2004.

FACT: Arctic ice is rapidly disappearing, and the region may have its first completely ice-free summer by 2040 or earlier. Polar bears and indigenous cultures are already suffering from the sea-ice loss.

FACT: Glaciers and mountain snows are rapidly melting—for example, Montana's Glacier National Park now has only 27 glaciers, versus 150 in 1910. In the Northern Hemisphere, thaws also come a week earlier in spring and freezes begin a week later.

FACT: Coral reefs, which are highly sensitive to small changes in water temperature, suffered the worst bleaching—or die-off in response to stress—ever recorded in 1998, with some areas seeing bleach rates of 70 percent. Experts expect these sorts of events to increase in frequency and intensity in the next 50 years as sea temperatures rise.

FACT: An upsurge in the amount of extreme weather events, such as wildfires, heat waves, and strong tropical storms, is also attributed in part to climate change by some experts.

Are Humans Causing It?

Very likely, the IPCC said in a February 2007 report.  The report, based on the work of some 2,500 scientists in more than 130 countries, concluded that humans have caused all or most of the current planetary warming. Human-caused global warming is often called anthropogenic climate change.

• Industrialization, deforestation, and pollution have greatly increased atmospheric concentrations of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, all greenhouse gases that help trap heat near Earth's surface. (See an interactive feature on how global warming works.)

• Humans are pouring carbon dioxide into the atmosphere much faster than plants and oceans can absorb it.

• These gases persist in the atmosphere for years, meaning that even if such emissions were eliminated today, it would not immediately stop global warming.

• Some experts point out that natural cycles in Earth's orbit can alter the planet's exposure to sunlight, which may explain the current trend. Earth has indeed experienced warming and cooling cycles roughly every hundred thousand years due to these orbital shifts, but such changes have occurred over the span of several centuries. Today's changes have taken place over the past hundred years or less.

• Other recent research has suggested that the effects of variations in the sun's output are "negligible" as a factor in warming, but other, more complicated solar mechanisms could possibly play a role.

Possible Outcomes:

A follow-up report by the IPCC released in April 2007 warned that global warming could lead to large-scale food and water shortages and have catastrophic effects on wildlife.

• Sea level could rise between 7 and 23 inches (18 to 59 centimeters) by century's end, the IPCC's February 2007 report projects. Rises of just 4 inches (10 centimeters) could flood many South Seas islands and swamp large parts of Southeast Asia.

• Some hundred million people live within 3 feet (1 meter) of mean sea level, and much of the world's population is concentrated in vulnerable coastal cities. In the U.S., Louisiana and Florida are especially at risk.

• Glaciers around the world could melt, causing sea levels to rise while creating water shortages in regions dependent on runoff for fresh water.

• Strong hurricanes, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, and other natural disasters may become commonplace in many parts of the world. The growth of deserts may also cause food shortages in many places.

• More than a million species face extinction from disappearing habitat, changing ecosystems, and acidifying oceans.

• The ocean's circulation system, known as the ocean conveyor belt, could be permanently altered, causing a mini-ice age in Western Europe and other rapid changes.

• At some point in the future, warming could become uncontrollable by creating a so-called positive feedback effect. Rising temperatures could release additional greenhouse gases by unlocking methane in permafrost and undersea deposits, freeing carbon trapped in sea ice, and causing increased evaporation of water.

ENERGY FACTS

The GSA gratefully acknowledges the following sources:  U.S. Department of Energy, Earth 911, Alliance to Save Energy, Do Something

FACT: Experts estimate that over half of the energy used in buildings is wasted and can be cost-effectively eliminated using currently available technology and other strategies.

FACT: According to the U.S. EPA 2006 Emissions Inventory, the CO2 emitted from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil & natural gas) represents over 90% of net U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

FACT: The U.S. Department of Energy calculates that buildings consume over 40% of total energy – including 70% of America’s electricity – and account for 38% of carbon emissions in the US.

FACT: Over 70% of electricity in the U.S. is generated from non-renewable sources.

FACT: Coal is used to generate almost half of the electricity produced in the U.S. When coal is burned as fuel, it gives off carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas linked to global warming.

FACT: About 30% of the energy used in commercial and industrial buildings is used inefficiently or unnecessarily.

FACT: If the energy efficiency of commercial and industrial buildings improved by 10%, it would equal a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 30 million cars off the road.

FACT: More than 25% of energy consumption in homes goes to lighting.

FACT: Only about 10% of the energy used by a bulb creates light, the other 90% creates heat.

FACT: If you replace 25% of your light bulbs with fluorescents, you can save about 20% on your lighting bill.

FACT: Home refrigerators in the U.S. use the same amount of electricity as 25 large power plants every year.

FACT: Around 80% of the energy used to wash clothes comes from heating the water. Using warm or cool water will save energy and get clothes just as clean.

FACT: Stopping air leaks around the house, can save you as much as 10% on heat and air conditioning costs.

FACT: Many electronics use energy even when turned off to keep display clocks lit and remote controls working.

POLLUTION FACTS

The GSA gratefully acknowledges the following sources of information: Do Something, Grinning Planet, The Daily Green, CBS News, Green Net World

FACT: 40% of America’s rivers and 46% of America’s lakes are too polluted for fishing, swimming, or aquatic life.

FACT: The Mississippi River – which drains the lands of nearly 40% of the continental United Sates – carries an estimated 1.5 million metric tons of nitrogen pollution into the Gulf of Mexico each year. The resulting dead zone in the Gulf each summer is about the size of New Jersey.

FACT: 1.2 trillion gallons of untreated sewage, storm water, and industrial waste are discharged into US waters annually.

FACT: Polluted drinking waters are a problem for about half of the world’s population. Each year there are about 250 million cases of water-based diseases, resulting in roughly 5 to 10 million deaths.

FACT: Vehicle exhaust contributes roughly 60% of all carbon monoxide emissions nationwide, and up to 95% in cities.

FACT: Large hog farms emit hydrogen sulfide, a gas that most often causes flu-like symptoms in humans, but at high concentrations can lead to brain damage.

FACT: Each year, U.S. factories spew 3 million tons of toxic chemicals into the air, land, and water.

FACT: In the U.S. 41% of all insecticides are used on corn. Of these, 80% are used to treat a pest that could be controlled simply by rotating a different crop for just one year.

FACT: Every year, one American produces over 3,285 pounds of hazardous waste.

FACT: Over 80% of items in landfills can be recycled, but they’re not.

FACT: Americans generate 30 billion foam cups, 220 million tires, and 1.8 billion disposable diapers every year.

E-WASTE FACTS

The GSA gratefully acknowledges the follwoing Sources: Do Something, Green Peace International, California Department of Toxic Substances Control, MotherJones, New York Times, National Geographic, E-Waste Guide

FACT: The nation now dumps between 300 million and 400 million electronic items per year, and less than 20% of that e-waste is recycled.

FACT: E-waste represents 2% of America's trash in landfills, but it equals 70% of overall toxic waste. The extreme amount of lead in electronics alone causes damage in the central and peripheral nervous systems, the blood and the kidneys.

FACT: Because computer processing power doubles roughly every two years, many old computers are being abandoned. Only 15% recycle their computers, which means the other 85% end up in landfills.

FACT: It’s energy efficient to rebuild old computers, but only about 2% of PCs ever find their way to a second user.

FACT: About 50 millions cell phones are replaced worldwide a month, and only 10% are recycled. If we recycled just a million cell phones, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 1,368 cars off the road for a year.

FACT: Flat panel computer monitors and notebooks often contain small amounts of mercury in the bulbs used to light them.

FACT: Cathode ray tubes in older TVs and computers typically contain about 4 lbs of lead and sometimes as much as 7 lbs.

FACT: The European Union banned e-waste from landfills in the 1990s, and current laws hold manufacturers responsible for e-waste disposal.

FACT: Large amounts of e-waste have been sent to countries such as China, India and Kenya, where lower environmental standards and working conditions make processing e-waste more profitable. Around 80 % of the e-waste in the U.S. is exported to Asia.

FACT: E-waste legislation in the United States is currently stalled at the state level. Just 24 states have passed or proposed take-back laws. However, as of January 1, 2011, covered electronics are completely banned in West Virginia.

Electronic items that are considered to be hazardous include, but are not limited to:

• Televisions and computer monitors that contain cathode ray tubes
• LCD desktop monitors
• Laptop computers with LCD displays
• LCD televisions
• Plasma televisions
• Portable DVD players with LCD screens.