GETTING BY WITHOUT CFA's

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The United States currently accounts for approximately 30 to 35% of the world's CFC production and use. As with energy, we are big consumers. As a result, our actions have tremendous global significance. This is all the more reason for us, as Americans, to act quickly.

Perhaps the best news to come out of the ozone depletion crisis is that it has brought nations together as never before to deal with an international environmental problem. This cooperation could serve as a model for action on other international problems such as global warming and pollution of our oceans. Out of it, perhaps, we will not only solve a few of these pressing concerns, but also usher in a new era of international cooperation and communication.

Alex Wilson is a freelance writer in Brattleboro, Vermont, who specializes in energy and environmental issues.

BALANCING OZONE DEPLETING AND GLOBAL WARMING

As WE ATTEMPT TO ELIMINATE CFCs from insulation materials, we need to keep energy efficiency in mind. Simply replacing CFC insulation with the same thickness of fiberglass, or with EPS having half the R-value, will necessitate burning more fossil fuel for heat. Such combustion releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, where it's the number one contributor to the greenhouse effect and global warming.

Maintaining a global environmental awareness necessitates keeping these two sometimes contradictory efforts in balance. A follow-up article in the April 1990 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS will address global warming and energy efficiency, demonstrating the relationship between energy savings and reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. As is the case with CFCs this is another area in which every one of us can-and must-play a part in maintaining a livable environment.

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