Dreaming of a Greener Future

April is Earth Month, and I couldn't help but think of a trip I took to Costa Rica a few years back. While traveling along a highway, I was struck by the wind turbines I saw from afar. Said to be the "greenest and happiest country on earth,"turns out that this tiny Central American country is the first in its region to build a wind farm. Remarkably, it has pledged to be the first carbon neutral country by 2021 and many believe that the Costa Ricans will indeed be able to meet this goal. It is estimated that 80% of its energy already comes from renewable sources, such as wind, solar and water. The diametric opposite of Costa Rica would be Puerto Rico. As I've mentioned in a previous entry, about 70% of the island's energy comes from petroleum and a mere 1% comes from renewable sources. With the uprisings in the Middle East and oil prices at an all time high, the current average is just over $1.00 per liter (about $3.79 per gallon) of premium on the island, such a phenomenon will further erode the economy and hurt consumers.

Gov. Fortuño had declared "a state of energy emergency" last year, and has been ferociously pushing for the construction of a 91 mile gas pipeline as a solution to help ease the island's dependence on oil. The Fortuño Administration's goal is to help diversify the island's energy portfolio by increasing the usage of renewable energy resources to 12% by 2015 and eventually to 20% by 2025. Although the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently approved the gas pipeline ("el gasoducto") project, it has been mired in controversy. Construction has not begun as it has been denounced as environmentally hazardous, and has led many to question its safety and decried its cost-savings. To his credit, Fortuño is not entirely banking on the gas pipeline.

To help the island wean itself from using oil as its primary energy resource, a wind farm, the island's first, in Santa Isabel, and a waste-to-energy plant in Arecibo are currently in the pipeline. The government is also testing the possibility of converting algae into oil. These are some of the initial steps that Puerto Rico has undertaken to help meet those renewable energy goals. Disappointingly, the island is only the fifth largest solar thermal producer in the U.S (Spain is the worldwide leader), despite all the sun we get! Needless to say, the island has a very long way to go in achieving energy efficiency. It is playing catch-up in a world well-aware of the fact that oil is a finite resource, and the future lies in renewable energy.

A Record Year

From snowstorms in the Northeastern part of the U.S to massive flooding in Colombia and Venezuela, 2010 has turned out to be a record year of extreme weather conditions and natural disasters. As of December 21st of this year, Puerto Rico received 88.6 inches of rain. This surpasses the 87.55 inches registered in 1931, making 2010 the year in which the island received the most amount of rainfall. Recently, there has also been a lot of seismic activity registered on the island, which lies on both the North American and Caribbean plates. Although they're small movements, ranging from 2.5 to 3 on the Richter scale, a 5.4 earthquake did hit the island on Christmas Eve. Fortunately, there were no injuries or serious damages reported.

Puerto Rico also emerged relatively unscathed this past hurricane season. However, as in many parts of the world, we've definitely been feeling the effects of climate change. In the San Juan metro area, we've had quite a few days where the high temperature has reached only into the low to mid-70 degrees Fahrenheit (about 22 degrees Celsius). The normal high for this time of the year is the low-80 degrees Fahrenheit. As it turns out, this cooling trend is taking place in many parts of of the world, most notably in the Eastern U.S and Europe this winter. I urge you to read the New York Times Op-Ed piece, "Bundle Up, It's Global Warming," to get a better understanding of the causes attributing to this worldwide phenomenon. Meanwhile, I'll be keeping my rain jacket and umbrella handy.

(Photo credit: Mariel Mejía Ortiz/El Nuevo Día)

The Green Way

Vía Verde (translation: "The Green Way") is a local Puerto Rican government initiative to lessen the island's dependence on petroleum, and to find a more environmentally sustainable energy source. To accomplish such a goal, the administration of Gov. Fortuño has been wholeheartedly pushing for the construction of a 91mile natural gas pipeline (el gasoducto), which would run from south to north of the island. In fact, the government is so keen to go forward with this project, that an estimated amount of savings is already included on the monthly electricity bill should el gasoducto be built. According to the Executive Director of the Puerto Rican Electric Power Authority (PREPA), Miguel Cordero, households will see a reduction of about 20% in their energy bills. Gov. Fortuño says the island is currently undergoing an "energy crisis" and the public should throw its support behind la Vía Verde.

The cost of electricity in Puerto Rico is, by some estimates, twice that of the mainland U.S'. This is a major achilles' heel to the local economy as it makes business' operating costs more expensive. An estimated 70% of the island's electricity comes from imported oil, and about 1% of the island's electricity comes from renewable energy resources, such as solar and wind. The Puerto Rican government acknowledges the need to diversify the island's energy portfolio, and it has pledged to increase the share of renewables to 12% by 2015 and 20% by 2035. Meanwhile, the construction of a gas pipeline seems to be the quickest way to appease household budgets and create jobs.

Much to Gov. Fortuno's chagrin, Vía Verde has been met with a massive opposition, especially amongst environmental groups and the communities in which the gas pipeline would be traversing. Such critics argue that the construction of el gasoducto will have a seriously negative environmental impact on the island's wildlife, flora and fauna. Furthermore, critics also point out that gas is just another type of fossil fuel. The fate of el gasoducto is on shaky ground, but most would agree that the island cannot continue to rely on imported foreign oil as its primary energy source.

(The image above was obtained from www.endi.com)

Earth Day 2010

I've decided to stop using "global warming," instead I'll follow Thomas L. Friedman's advice and use the term "global weirding." Last month, Puerto Rico registered both a record low and high in temperatures. According to the National Weather Service, the average temperature this past March was 80.7º F. This is more characteristic for temperatures in May. On the other hand, we also had a few days of relatively cooler temperatures, in the low 60ºsF in the San Juan area, brought on by a cold front. This extreme weather phenomenon is nothing out of the extraordinary. In many parts of the world, especially in some parts of the U.S and Europe, this past winter was extremely rough. Many experienced record snowfalls and low temperatures. This is no reason to doubt the existence of global warming though. As stated in a fairly recent article published in the Economist, the fact in which there is a lack of agreement amongst environmental scientists should not be cause for inaction.

Puerto Rico is slowly becoming more conscientious of climate change and trying to adopt renewable energy resources. The local paper published an article (in Spanish), "En pañales la conciencia verde en Puerto Rico" (which literally translates to: "In Diapers Green Conscience in Puerto Rico") with some worrying statistics. Electricity on the island, which has seven power generating plants, is still primarily produced by the burning of fossil fuels. Currently, the recycling rate is less than 10%. In the U.S, it's over 30% and in some parts of Europe, it's at around 60%. To my astonishment, Puerto Rico has no existing recycling plant for solid waste. On average, people on the island generate nearly five pounds of garbage on a daily basis, this makes Puerto Rico the world's leader in generating the most garbage, in terms of population density and square mileage. Needless to say, the island faces a very long list of challenges and must act quicker.

Earth Day will be celebrated just two days from today, on April 22nd. One of the most important things which we can all do, as citizens of this world, is to do our part in taking care of Mother Earth. For example, recycling and using less plastic bags is one way to reduce waste and lessen carbon emissions. I often bring a canvas bag with me to carry my groceries, something which I would love to see everyone here on the island do. Hanging your clothes, weather permitting, is also a fantastic way to lessen your electricity bill. If we can all contribute in the usage of less energy and water, we'll be making small but crucial steps in helping alleviate the environmental damage we've caused.

The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico

"Only 7.2% of Puerto Rico's land area is protected by law for conservation purposes," states the Website of the Conversation Trust of Puerto Rico (El Fideicomiso de Conservación de Puerto Rico), a private non-profit organization, whose main objective is to protect and preserve the island's natural resources. The percentage of preserved land area in Puerto Rico is quite dismal in comparison to countries such as Costa Rica and Panama, where 32% and 41% of the land is being protected, respectively. Perhaps for this reason, Puerto Rico is not known to be an eco-tourism destination. Having recently just celebrated its 40th anniversary, the Conservation Trust plays a very crucial role in preserving some of the island's most beautiful and ecologically important areas.

Some of the sites, of which there are 24, under the management of the Conservation Trust, includes Las Cabezas de San Juan and Hacienda Buena Vista. I've visited both and I found them to be absolutely wonderful places to visit. Established during the administration of Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson, the Conservation Trust regularly hosts community workshops and events. Whether you're a resident or visitor to the island, I highly recommend participating in one of the Conservation Trust's activities. Not only will you be supporting a great cause in helping this wonderful organization protect more of this beautiful island, but you will also get the sense of just how important it is for us to protect our environment as a whole.

Please note: I am in no way affiliated to the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico, but I do support them in their cause!

(Top photo was taken at Las Cabezas de San Juan and the bottom photo is from Hacienda Buena Vista.)