VALLEY FIRMS TO FIGHT GLOBAL WARMING

San Jose Mercury News
March 29, 2004

COALITION HOPES INNOVATION WILL ENTICE OTHER REGIONS

PAUL ROGERS, Mercury News

In one of the first programs of its kind in the United States,a coalition of major Silicon Valley companies is set to announce today a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to collectively combat global warming.

The companies -- Hewlett-Packard, Oracle, Calpine, Lockheed, ALZA, Life
Scan and PG&E -- along with the city of San Jose, NASA Ames Research Center and the Santa Clara Valley Water District, will set a goal of cutting Santa Clara County's carbon dioxide emissions to 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2010.

If successful, such a reduction would be more than triple the goal set by the still-stalled Kyoto agreement on global warming. It would be as effective as removing 1.1 million cars from Silicon Valley roads.

Carbon dioxide is formed in part by the burning of fossil fuels such as gasoline, coal and natural gas. It traps heat in the atmosphere that otherwise would radiate into space.

Silicon Valley's program may be largely symbolic: Cars emit most of the carbon dioxide in Santa Clara County, and the companies and government entities who signed on can't do much about them. Also, a 20 percent reduction in the amount of carbon dioxide pumped into the South Bay's air is a tiny part of the world's total.

But because the new Silicon Valley effort is driven by companies known worldwide for innovation, supporters hope it will lend credence nationwide to those who advocate a more assertive U.S. strategy on global warming .

''You have to start somewhere,'' said Robert Parkhurst, global environmental program manager of Hewlett-Packard, in Palo Alto.

''Silicon Valley is the foundation of innovation. Here is an opportunity where regulators, industry and non-profit groups are working together. We hope it encourages other regions to follow.''

The plan, which was crafted in large part by the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group, is supported by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration.

Conveying message

''The important message is that private industry thinks global warming is real and is willing to do something about it,'' said Michelle St. Martin, spokeswoman for the California Environmental Protection Agency in Sacramento.

Participating Silicon Valley companies will report every year the amount of electricity and natural gas they use in their Santa Clara County facilities, along with the amount of gasoline and diesel their vehicle fleets burn. They will work then to voluntarily reduce energy use, which cuts carbon dioxide and smog emissions.

Companies are expected to take such steps as converting auto fleets to hybrid gas-electric vehicles; installing efficient fluorescent lights and motion detectors; and retrofitting buildings with more efficient heating and cooling systems, insulation, even ''cool roofs'' to reflect heat.

''You can do this cost-efficiently,'' said Margaret Bruce, environmental coordinator for the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group. ''None of these businesses would do this if it hurt their bottom lines.''

Most scientists believe global warming is under way and is caused in part by human activity. Last year was the world's second hottest year since 1880, when measurements were first taken, according to the National Climactic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. The 10 hottest years on record have all occurred since 1990.

In 2001, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a U.N. science group, said the Earth's average surface temperature rose 1 degree in the 20th century and could rise 2.5 to 10.4 degrees this century.

Scientists fear such warming could cause severe droughts, forest fires, coastal flooding because of rising sea levels from melting polar ice, disruption of wildlife and the spread of tropical diseases.

President Clinton signed the 1997 Kyoto global warming treaty but never submitted it to the U.S. Senate after the Senate voted 95-0 to oppose it unless China and India were included, which they are not. President Bush opposes the Kyoto treaty, saying it would harm the U.S. economy, and he has abandoned a campaign promise to have the U.S. EPA regulate carbon dioxide.

Organizers of the Silicon Valley plan estimate that Santa Clara County emitted 15.7 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2000, up from 13.4 million tons in 1990. The estimates are based on consumption of gasoline, diesel fuel, electricity and natural gas.

Achieving a 20 percent reduction won't be easy. Roughly 55 percent of the county's carbon dioxide emissions are from motor vehicles, estimates Peter Melhus, chairman of the Silicon Valley Environmental Partnership.

The remaining 45 percent is split between industry, commercial and residential use, so targeting businesses alone won't hit the target.

San Jose joins in

That's where the city comes in, said San Jose City Councilwoman Linda LeZotte. ''Changing behavior is a daunting task, but we've done it before with recycling and water conservation.''

The city can expand mass transit, buy hybrid cars for its fleets and pass more energy-efficient building codes to start, LeZotte said.

Critics call the effort empty symbolism. Participating companies have not committed to individual targets yet for their own emissions, and when they do, there are no sanctions if they fail to reach them.

''I have no complaint when companies privately do what they want to do,'' said Jerry Taylor, environmental director of the Cato Institute, a Libertarian think tank in Washington, D.C. ''But I don't for a minute think this will have a great deal of impact on global temperature.''

Calpine says the program makes sense, however.

''Inefficiency in the power sector or in anywhere is a signal of waste,'' said Peggy Duxbury, Calpine's director of government and environmental affairs. ''This allows businesses to become more aware of the power choices that exist and the carbon impacts.''

Environmentalists approve.

''The federal government is operating under the terrible misconception that global warming pollution is good for the economy,'' said Ralph Cavanagh, energy director at the Natural Resources Defense Council. ''But now Silicon Valley is saying the opposite. And Silicon Valley has more credibility on the issue.''

Copyright (c) 2004 San Jose Mercury News