Science guy speaks up to save Earth

By Neil Cody
The Daily Item (Sunbury, Pa.)

LEWISBURG, Pa.— For this planet to remain hospitable to humans, Americans have to start following the 80-50 rule.
That is, we must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by the year 2050, according to Bill Nye, who spoke at Bucknell University on Tuesday.
Nye, who received a mechanical engineering degree from Cornell University, worked on flight systems for Boeing Corp. and is best known as “Bill Nye the Science Guy” on the popular television series of the same name, recently began engaging audiences on the topic of climate change.
“People are always saying ‘save the Earth.’ Well, the Earth is going to be fine,” Nye said. “Cockroaches are going to do great. I want to save the Earth for me, for humans. That’s what interests me.”
Nye said there are many steps in the process in which any citizen can take part, including the purchase of more efficient light bulbs, the use of solar panels and better decisions when it comes to buying a car.
He showed students a picture of a 2007 Chevy Suburban that gets 12 miles per gallon and a picture of his own Toyota Prius, which he said gets 46 miles per gallon.
“If every car on the road got four times as much gas mileage, it would change everything. And there’s what I call the HKEV,” he said, pointing to a picture of a bicycle, ‘Highest Known Efficiency Vehicle;’ you take food and convert it to mechanical work.”
On the subject of automobiles, Nye also voiced his displeasure with General Motors for discontinuing its electric car and NASCAR for its outdated equipment and methods.
“Auto racing used to be where you developed new technology,” he said. “Now the rules are so strict that (stock cars) get 5 miles per gallon. They use leaded gasoline. Come on, this is the 21st century.”
Nye also showed several slides of newly installed solar panels on the garage of his Los Angeles home.
“I had to bring my neighbors over and show them my electric meter,” he said. “It runs backward. I’m on the grid.”
The solar panels actually generate more electricity than is needed for his home and he sells some of the surplus back each month.
“Why isn’t every roof in the world equipped with solar panels? We almost have that technology,” he said.
A reporter asked Nye how he felt about the belief that the Earth is merely undergoing a natural warming cycle, a position that many climate change opponents hold.
“The thing that is different from the natural cycle is the rate,” Nye said. “Humans are making it happen much, much faster. The danger is it will run away, and we won’t be able to stop it.”
He added: “Here’s the fundamental idea: it’s not just about alternatives to fossil fuels. There’s no panacea. Instead, we have to do a little bit of everything all at once.”

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