Hello Ecologgers, There is quite an interesting discussion in response to my post about taking the train to ESA, so I thought I would chime in. Paul is 100% correct, taking the train to ESA will have no mathematical impact on climate change. In fact, nothing that any one of us changes in our own lives will have an impact on climate change, and the same can be said for many other environmental issues. So then, why take the train to ESA?
1. Reduce the carbon footprint of science. While many of us have made changes to our liftestyles to reduce our carbon footprints, increased air travel has caused the carbon footprint of many scientists to surge to 2.5 x the American average (see Fox et al. 2009 in Frontiers, http://www.esajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1890/09.WB.019). So, finding alternative means of travel to conferences will reduce our individual carbon footprints and that of the conferences we attend. 2. Symbolism. While some may shrug this off as meaningless, I would argue that symbolic activities set an example for others to follow and can have a cascade of effects that COULD make a mathematical contribution to the climate change equation. History has shown us that acts of symbolism work (think civil rights protests in the 1960s) and there is no reason to think that they cannot continue to bring about positivie change. 3. Demand alternatives to air travel. Admittedly, the passenger rail system in the U.S. is not what it should, or could be, given our wealth. Amtrak largely travels on tracks designed for and owned by freight train companies. As a result, they are not designed for high-speed train travel and freight trains almost always get the right of way. If train travel demand increases so will the resources and justification for investing in our passenger rail infrastructure. While bad train travel experiences, such as those described by McNeeley, do occur, I would challenge you to find a mode of long-distance travel that does not have its own share of frustrating experiences (flight delays, getting searched, traffic jams, etc.). I have traversed the country many times via train and I will add that a sleeping car might be ideal, but I have never had one and just make do with my reclining train seat. My back is still ok, though I am only 34! Telecommuting would certainly have a bigger impact on the footprint of conferences and this is something that perhaps we should move towards. However, when we do have to travel to conferences, taking the train is one way to reduce our environmental impact. Certainly train travel will not be feasible for everyone, so when flying is necessary consider taking a direct flight and purchasing carbon offsets through one of the many reputable programs available (e.g., Carbonfund.org and Terrapass.com). 'Scientist' is one of the most respected and trusted professions in the U.S. As such, we have a great ability and responsibility to lead by example. As with all societal issues, we cannot expect the world around to us to change if we, ourselves, are unwilling to. REMINDER: If you decide to take the train to ESA this year and/or buy carbon offsets for your travel please email me the details so I can help coordinate and tally up the numbers. Feel free to contact me if you want some tips for saving money on your train ticket. Thanks! -Andy Reinmann -- Andy Reinmann Ph.D. Candidate Biology Department Boston University 5 Cummington St Boston, MA 02215 ________________________________________ From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [[email protected]] on behalf of Wayne Tyson [[email protected]] Sent: Monday, April 29, 2013 12:28 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Take the Train to ESA Minneapolis Lou Ziegler once said that "Nature has shrugged off countless species in the history of the earth, and she will shrug of Homo sapiens in the same way. When that happens, things can get back to normal." WT “In the heart of the city I have heard the wild geese crying on the pathways that lie over a vanished forest. Nature has not changed the force that drives them. Man, too, is a different expression of that natural force. He has fought his way from the sea’s depths to Palomar Mountain. He has mastered the plague. Now, in some final Armageddon, he confronts himself.” –Loren Eiseley, The Invisible Pyramid. “We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals. Remote from universal nature, and living by complicated artifice, man in civilization surveys the creature through the glass of his knowledge and sees thereby a feather magnified and the whole image in distortion. We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth.“ –Henry Beston, The Outermost House. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Cherubini" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 8:54 AM Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Take the Train to ESA Minneapolis On Apr 28, 2013, at 4:49 AM, Mary Anne Carletta wrote: > And, of course, Boeing is always right in its predictions > (not to mention self-serving), so there's no point in > individuals making any effort. Really? The forum recently had a thread discussing the importance of math. Here are some math realities: Airbus forecasts near doubling of freighter fleet http://www.aircargoworld.com/Air-Cargo-News/2012/09/airbus-forecasts-near-doubling-of-freighter-fleet/049393 Gas Guzzling SUVs Popular in China http://news.discovery.com/autos/drive/suvs-popular-china-130422.htm "SUV in India has a large market base, and the demand is growing exponentially with time." http://current-trends-now.com/2011/03/growing-suv-market-in-india/ Ford Taps Russia’s Growing Suv Market http://www.automotiveworld.com/articles/ford-taps-russias-growing-suv-market/ Paul Cherubini El Dorado, Calif. ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1432 / Virus Database: 3162/5780 - Release Date: 04/28/13
