EDITORIAL:Kudos to council for being green

We applaud the City Council for getting on board with the U.S. Mayors for Climate Protection Agreement, which promotes various environmental goals.

But it’s a little unsettling that the sponsors, council members Debbie Cook and Keith Bohr, had to assure their colleagues that it wasn’t locking the city into any mandates or requirements. Instead, the agreement mostly focuses on setting a good example.

Sure there are still some holdouts, but there is a growing consensus that global warming is caused by human activity and that it’s becoming a very serious problem. A United Nations panel on climate change recently released a report predicting that global warming will continue for centuries even if we stabilize greenhouse gases.

The U.N. report said scientists estimate that temperatures will climb 3.2 to 7.8 degrees by 2100. From 1901 to 2005, the increase was 1.2 degrees. Why does this matter? Because it will melt polar ice caps and could cause floods that affect 10 million people.

But even if you dispute that — and there are some experts who do — it’s just common sense that pollution is bad and that our political leaders should provide a good example.

Even corporate America is getting into the eco-act, Cook pointed out. Many of the country’s top corporations buy and sell the right to spew carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases through the Chicago Climate Exchange. And some energy companies are getting into the business of alternative fuels. President Bush in his State of the Union address this year called on the country to reduce gasoline consumption by 20% over the next 10 years.

So Cook is right to point out that Huntington Beach should be prepared for inevitable federal and state mandates. And we would encourage each and everyone of you to help out on your own. When you can, carpool to work or take a bike to the neighborhood store. Remember when Mom or Dad used to scold you for leaving every light in the house on? Maybe they were just trying to save a few bucks on the electricity bill. But, as usual, they were right. It’s good for the ecology, too.

IKEA, the furniture store, recently announced it will start charging customers a nickel for every plastic shopping bag they use. As an alternative, the store will sell re-usable bags for 59 cents. Whole Foods gives customers a nickel rebate for using a reusable bag. These are not fads. They are trends and will continue. We salute the Huntington Beach City Council for getting involved in a good cause, and we encourage you to join in.