University of Iowa: Global Warming
As the world burns UI researchers take action to fight climate change - 03/05/07
When subzero winds whipped across campus this winter, many of us might have had trouble worrying about global warming.
But we shouldn't let the weather fool us. Even on the coldest day, global warming is real-and we should be worried about it, according to Jerry Schnoor, professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering.
"If we don't cut back on greenhouse gas emissions by at least 70 percent, our children's children will see the Earth as it has never looked in 55 million years," he says.
"If we don't cut back on greenhouse gas emissions by at least 70 percent, our children's children will see the Earth as it has never looked in 55 million years," he says.
Schnoor and his colleagues in civil and environmental engineering are part of a campus-wide effort at The University of Iowa to blunt global warming with prompt action. Scientists in the College of Engineering are studying alternative sources of power, researchers in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are studying the effects of warming on alpine tree lines and the migratory behavior of elk, and others even are investigating pollution on the nanoscale.
While many other universities around the country deal with environmental problems, what sets The University of Iowa apart is its practical application of faculty research. Scientists in engineering are collaborating with Facilities Management staff on the feasibility of hydro and wind power. Schnoor's interest in using plants as clean fuel sources led to the University's oat hull-burning program five years ago, which in turn led to not only energy cost-savings but also a reduction in the University's greenhouse gas emissions, a distinction that Schnoor says the University shares with few other universities-and with no Fortune 500 company or even any state in the union.
