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Transcript There’s good news coming out of the University of Minnesota when it comes to cutting back on fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions. “The objectives that we set out are achievable, but we need to begin them today.” And, experts at the U of M say it won’t break our backs, or our banks, to get there… “It’s a piece of cake, no problem.” That’s good news, because the state of Minnesota, and many other states around the country, have required cuts in greenhouse gas (or GHG) emissions to help slow climate change. In Minnesota, for example, that number is 80 percent less than current levels by the year 2050. To reach that benchmark, the Minnesota state legislature asked the researchers at the U of M’s Center for Transportation Studies to determine what it will take. “We focused mainly on three core areas, one is changes in vehicles, the second is changes in fuels and the third is shifts in the transportation infrastructure.” More trains, bike lanes and mass transit …better biofuels, like cellulosic ethanol …and more efficient vehicles, such as hybrids, are big parts of the puzzle according to researcher Julian Marshall, who rides his bike several miles to and from work everyday …something he says could be easier for more people to do, if communities were set up to facilitate more bike traffic. “Some things we can do today, as a society, are start requiring more efficient vehicles, start requiring more walkable, livable communities.” A few blocks from Marshall’s office, David Kittelson is testing next generation biofuels in the U of M’s fuel research center… “Butanol is another biofuel…” Kittelson says better biofuels, with less carbon emissions, made from non-food products like corn stalks or prairie grass, are on the way. “If we look out into the future, you can get ethanol from cellulosic materials and then you get a much more substantial reduction in greenhouse gas.” …but before that happens, Kittelson says we could increase fuel efficiency, with the fuels we have, by as much as 50 percent, if we just drove smaller cars. “The engines we have in our passenger cars are no worse or no better than the engines they have in passenger cars in Japan or in Germany. The difference is, we put our engines in enormous cars.” “There’s a lot of technology inside this lab and a lot outside of the lab, available right now, that we can use to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas we produce. But one state can’t do it alone.” “The vehicle manufacturers are very interested in buying power and when our voice is combined with that of other states, then they’re more inclined to listen.” Research director Laurie McGinnis agrees with Kittelson that part of the problem is manufacturers are making cars too big, because that’s what consumers have been asking for. If Minnesota, along with other states in the Midwest, pledge to buy only highly-efficient vehicles, the manufacturers will be forced to change. “By bringing people together from the beginning, you’re able to have synergies that pushes you forward and implements your results in a much more efficient and effective way.” Marshall, Kittelson and McGinnis all want to stress one thing …many of the changes can be made immediately. If we, for example, just converted our corn cobs into synthetic diesel fuel, we could replace roughly 75 percent of the petroleum diesel, just using corn cobs.” …saving us money at the pump… “By getting out there early and addressing this problem now it will cost us less than if we don’t address the problem in the long run.” Not to mention, the environment we all depend on. For the University of Minnesota, I’m Justin Ware.
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