HOLLYWOOD FICTION STIRS PUBLIC INTEREST IN GLOBAL WARMING

HOLLYWOOD FICTION STIRS PUBLIC INTEREST IN GLOBAL WARMING, HYDROPOWER PROVIDES REAL SOLUTIONS

by Mark R. Stover, Director of Government Affairs & Media Relations

WASHINGTON, DC - A film portraying cataclysmic results of global warming may be pure Hollywood fiction, but it presents an opportunity to discuss real issues, including the valuable role of hydropower as a renewable resource, according to the National Hydropower Association (NHA).

The film, The Day After Tomorrow, was released today by 20th Century Fox.

"While The Day After Tomorrow certainly exaggerates the potential impacts of global warming in dramatic fashion, it presents an opportunity to discuss real ways in which we can address carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, including a role for hydropower, the nation's leading renewable resource," said Linda Church Ciocci, executive director of NHA.

"Hydropower, which enjoys strong public support, helps us tackle global warming by avoiding the release of large amounts of CO2 into our atmosphere," she added.

In fact, the use of hydropower in the United States resulted in the avoidance of 130 million metric tons of carbon emissions in 2002. That is equivalent to removing approximately 40 percent of the nation's vehicles from U.S. roadways, which are the largest emitters of carbon.

The use of hydropower also results in avoided emissions such as nitrogen oxide (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), mercury, lead and other fine particulate matter known to cause health problems.

The Department of Energy in 1999 identified 21,000 megawatts of unused hydropower potential at existing dams in the U.S. If developed, this potential would meet the yearly energy needs of 6.9 million homes and result in an additional 42 million metric tons of avoided carbon emissions.

"With a significant amount of untapped hydropower capacity available at existing dams, we should do everything we can to encourage the development of this potential energy. By relying more on hydropower, we can meet our growing electricity needs and reduce carbon emissions," closed Ciocci.

Hydropower presently provides approximately eight percent of the nation's electricity and more than 75 percent of its renewable energy. Electricity generated from hydropower is consumed in 48 states.

Please Note: SolarAccess.com and Arizonaenergy.org do not endorse the sites behind these links. We offer them for your additional research. Following these links will open a new browser window.

Please visit www.solaraccess.com for great coverage on energy today!!