Ford tackles climate change, "global warming is real"

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Ford tackles climate change, "global warming is real"

April 24, 2007, 12:35:59 PM

Straight from the Horse's (Mulally's) mouth, folks.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070424/AUTO01/704240346/1148

Ford tackles climate change

CEO Mulally says global warming is real; creates new environmental post

Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News

In one of the strongest statements on climate change ever made by a U.S. auto industry executive, Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally said Monday that global warming is real, manmade and caused in part by auto emissions.

"The vast majority of data indicates that the temperature has increased, and I believe the correlation and the buttstuffysis says that is mainly because of the greenhouse gases keeping the heat in. You can just plot it with the Industrial Revolution and the use of all of our resources," he said.

Mulally made the comments during a telephone press conference called to announce the promotion of Susan Cischke, Ford's vice president of environmental and safety engineering, to the newly created post of senior vice president in charge of sustainability, environment and safety engineering -- a move Mulally said was meant to underscore the importance of this issue to Ford's corporate strategy.

"It's about sustainability, it's about mobility, it's about safety, it's about (being) stewards of our environment," he said. "This is the biggest agenda we have at Ford. I think it's going to be one of the most important considerations to the customers that buy our products and services going forward."

Also Monday, General Motors Corp. Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said the U.S. government needs to take a Manhattan Project-like approach to creating a national energy policy, bringing the best minds in the country to bear on the issue of energy sustainability and independence.

Dismissing skeptics

America's automakers have acknowledged that climate change is a serious issue, and one their industry must address.

But Mulally's statement was one of the clearest yet that global warming is not a natural phenomenon, as some skeptics -- including Lutz -- have suggested.

"I'm just gratified that it seems like, in the court of public opinion, we have moved to the place where we all are starting to appreciate and agree that this really is an issue, and that we all want to do something about it," he said.

It was a statement he reiterated Monday afternoon in an e-mail to Ford employees, a copy of which was obtained by The Detroit News.

"I firmly believe we are at an inflection point in the world's history as it relates to climate change and energy security. The time for debating whether climate change is real has past It is time for a conversation about what we, as a society, intend to do to address it," Mulally wrote.

To that end, the CEO said Cischke will oversee a company-wide effort to create a greener Ford.

"It's the product development side, it's the manufacturing piece, it's the supplier community -- it's a lot of things. It also includes the working conditions aspect, the human rights issue. It's balancing the people side of it as well as the economic side and the environmental side and trying to figure out how it fits together," Cischke told reporters.

"While we have a clear picture of where we'd like to be in the next five to seven years, I've got to look beyond that," she said.

Environmentalists cautious

While environmentalists welcomed Mulally's candor on global warming, some questioned his choice to lead Ford's environmental efforts.

"We're a little concerned. Sue Cischke has been Ford's public face for fighting a lot of things that would help stop global warming," said the Sierra Club's Brendan Bell. "Clearly, there is a desire at certain levels of Ford's management to promote sustainability. But they're much better at creating new positions than new policies."

Ford has drawn fire in the past for reneging on environmental promises, like then-CEO Bill Ford Jr.'s pledge to build 250,000 hybrids annually by 2010. Ford retracted that commitment less than a year later.

"We didn't have it all thought out as much as we should. Maybe we got out a little too far in front. But you can't take away our intent," Mulally said.

Promoting greener transportation has been a big priority for Bill Ford, now the company's executive chairman.

During his tenure, Ford introduced the world's first hybrid sport utility vehicle, but also made plenty of big gas-guzzlers.

And the Dearborn-based automaker continued to resist government efforts to increase federal fuel economy standards.

On Monday, Mulally said increasing those regulations only makes sense as part of a broader solution to global warming, one that includes sacrifices by other industries.

"We're only going to make the progress we all want to make if we move this up to include the generation of all energy, as well as the use of the energy," he said.

Lutz also called for a more comprehensive energy policy Monday.

"We really want to push for the transformational solution," he said during a speech at an automotive conference in Louisville.

For example, he said the federal government should do more to convince oil companies to install ethanol pumps at gas stations.

While GM has suggested more research needs to be done into the causes of global warming, the company told The News it is not waiting for the answer.

"We're not waiting for the scientific community to finish its discussion on the specifics of climate change," said GM spokesman Greg Martin.

"As we've said from L.A. to Capitol Hill, we see it as both a business necessity and as our obligation to society to develop advanced technologies that run on diverse sources of energy to lessen the automobile's impact on the environment."

You can reach Bryce Hoffman at (313) 222-2443 or bhoffman@detnews.com. Dow Jones Newswires contributed to this report.

Ford tackles climate change, "global warming is real"

Reply #1 – April 24, 2007, 12:53:08 PM

cliff notes?

Ford tackles climate change, "global warming is real"

Reply #2 – April 24, 2007, 12:53:41 PM

Read.

Ford tackles climate change, "global warming is real"

Reply #3 – April 24, 2007, 12:57:06 PM

I'd like to see him tell the people in TX and AZ that global warming is real they both had snow this winter or how about the people in NY that got 9 feet of snow.

Sorry I had to let that out.

Ford tackles climate change, "global warming is real"

Reply #4 – April 24, 2007, 01:09:28 PM

Talk about missing the point.

Is it worth arguing over anymore? Take a look at 'who' is arguing that global warming doesn't exist.

Ford tackles climate change, "global warming is real"

Reply #5 – April 24, 2007, 01:24:17 PM

Quote from: slamedcat;142551

I'd like to see him tell the people in TX and AZ that global warming is real they both had snow this winter or how about the people in NY that got 9 feet of snow.

Sorry I had to let that out.

Global Warming isn't always about the "warming" part. It's really a bad term to use and should be changed, because people take way too literally. Including myself at one time. It's the side effects we need to worry about. Persistent Cat 5 Hurricanes, Tornadoes in January, Blizzards dumping 13 feet of snow, Dustbowls, and rising ocean levels and the like.

Quote from: wikipedia

Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation.

Quote from: wikipedia

An increase in global temperatures can in turn cause other changes, including sea level rise, and changes in the amount and pattern of precipitation. There may also be increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, though it is difficult to connect specific events to global warming. Other consequences may include changes in agricultural yields, glacier retreat, reduced summer streamflows, species extinctions and increases in the ranges of disease vectors.

Ford tackles climate change, "global warming is real"

Reply #6 – April 24, 2007, 01:45:06 PM

[qoute]Originally Posted by wikipedia
Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation.[/quote]

The problem here is that pollution is not the only contrubuting factor for that. Look around at all the land that has been paved for parking lots. Here is Peoria they just built a new mall and paved probly 20 acres for the entire project. That will make the Avg. temp for the city rise also.

I jsut think that we need to step back and look at the big picture and start from the begining.

They should start with air lines. Jets put more polution into the air than cars do. Plus the volcanoes that are erupting are putting more than air planes. Mother Nature FTW! So no matter how much we do to control pollution there is always going to be a problem with it.

Quote

http://www.chesapeakebay.net/air_pollution.htm
Natural Sources
Natural sources of air pollution are sources not caused by people or their activities. An erupting volcano emits particulate matter and gases; forest and prairie fires can emit large quantities of pollutants; plants and trees emit hydrocarbons; and dust storms can create large amounts of particulate matter. Wild animals in their natural habitat are also considered natural sources of pollution given that there is a certain amount of natural pollution, it is very important to control the "excess" pollution caused by man’s activities

But enough with the global warming talk back the subject at hand.

Ford tackles climate change, "global warming is real"

Reply #7 – April 24, 2007, 02:02:12 PM

Try reading up on ice cores taken from the Antarctic Ice Cap. Volcanoes have been going off for billions of years, but in these cores we find drastic increases of pollutants, mainly CO2, emerge with the Industrial Revolution. Volcanoes weren't making a difference, but Industrialization was.

We have two problems. Too much sunlight is getting in, and not enough is getting out. You can't blame that on parking lots.

Ford tackles climate change, "global warming is real"

Reply #8 – April 24, 2007, 02:28:52 PM

Here's an interesting quick fix that could buy us some time to find better long term solutions to the GW problem. I saw this on Discovery's Daily Planet the other day. The entire episode was dedicated to GW and what changes we've seen, other than the obvious rise in average temperature.

http://discovermagazine.com/1994/jun/theironmansreven391

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.11/ecohacking_pr.html

In two weeks, 1,000 pounds of iron produced the biomass equivalent of 100 full-grown redwoods, sucking 2,500 tons of CO2 from the sky.

Now that's a return.

Ford tackles climate change, "global warming is real"

Reply #9 – April 24, 2007, 02:36:58 PM

http://www.predictweather.com/global_warming/index.asp

Ford tackles climate change, "global warming is real"

Reply #10 – April 24, 2007, 02:46:11 PM

There is no doubting that the climate is changing. Anyone over 15 years of age should be able to see that - in fact, we may well be the first generation to ever be legitimately be able to use the term "Back in my day..."

Denying that global warming exists because the winter of 2006/2007 happened to be a particularly shiznitty one is like denying that spring is here because it snowed in April. The fact is that the long-term trend is pointing upwards.

I still hold the firm belief, though, that nothing will be done to curb pollution until individuals start doing it. It's fine and well to tell the government to force industry to be cleaner, but we as individuals can do it right now with no lawmakers involved by simply making smarter choices. Why wait for incandescent bulbs to be outlawed before you install CFL's? Why wait for CAFE standards to be raised before buying a smaller, more efficient vehicle? Why wait for cars to be barred from cities (as has already happened in London, England, and as is also currently being considered by NYC) before carpooling and/or using public transit? Why wait for so-called "Green" electricity production to be mandated when all you have to do is turn out the lights when you leave a room, turn the TV off when nobody's watching it, and turn off the computer when it's not in use?

I find it amusing that the public is outraged when the government sticks its nose into their business when it comes to practical things that should be common sense anyway (seat belt laws, for example), yet at the same time everyone is running around screaming that the government do something about polluters. If the government went after the REAL polluters we'd all be in trouble.

Society has "needs" and it has "wants". We "need" transportation. We "want" to each be in our own steel fortress of solitude during rush hour. A family "Needs" a car. They "want" a V8, 4WD, 8-passenger SUV. The gap between "Need" and "Want" has to shrink considerably before anything meaningful will be done about pollution.

Ford tackles climate change, "global warming is real"

Reply #11 – April 24, 2007, 06:14:08 PM

Mulally's an idiot.

Ford tackles climate change, "global warming is real"

Reply #12 – April 24, 2007, 06:20:30 PM

We (the planet) have seen catastrophic climate changes in the past. There WAS an ice age before us. What caused it? Most believe it was a giant meteor. I firmly believe that it's going to happen again. Before we change the climate through out pollution, something beyond our control is going to happen. Isn't Yellowstone on the verge of erupting? Don't we have close calls with meteors relatively frequently? No one is going to live forever. We will be destroyed by another global catastrophe. Maybe not this century, but it will happen. This earth isn't going to last forever, folks. I'm going to live my life how I choose. If gas shoots up, so be it... I'll get around another way. The sun is getting hotter? Bring on the sunscreen. Sooner or later we're all f**ked. Why not just be happy while we're here?

Ford tackles climate change, "global warming is real"

Reply #13 – April 24, 2007, 07:44:55 PM

To my way of thinking...a coupla hundred years' worth of smog and shiznit being put off is not even one tenth waht that big-assed volcano did about 1200 years ago (can't remember then name..Vesuvius??)

On the other hand, the Earth has been undergoing this heating and cooling cycle for millenia...it's just the last thousand years or so the humankind can record and remember such events...there is NOTHING we can do to stop the shiznit...yeah, let's all quit driving our cars for a month or two?? Big f'n whoop...
The poles will melt down some anyway, which means increased water on the planet, which means more rain, which means more of everything we've been having...smog may have affected it SOMEWHAT, but i'd bet my nuts that isn't the direct cause of any of it. Not to rag on all you people...i know it's a wise idea to take care of the environment....but i'm sick to death of some over-paid fatcat who "thinks" he/she has the perfect answer.
IF this is such the case...why not hydrogen fuel vehicles NOW...the technology is here now....
Sorry for being an ass..but....we can't really change this thing.

Ford tackles climate change, "global warming is real"

Reply #14 – April 24, 2007, 10:42:46 PM

It's all about money.

The auto manufacturers see an opportunity to make a killing in the next decade. The CEO of Ford is no dummy. He turned Boeing around AFTER 9/11 for cryin out loud. He see's that more and more and more people are jumping on this thing...and most of these people are scared. They are afraid of predictions and hocus pocus that is done with statistics and numbers. You can do anything with stats. So in the eyes of the money hungry, how do you cash in on an inevitable "global disaster?" People are going to buy new cars based on the trend of the times. The trend was displacement. The trend was FWD puppiesanese cars. The trend was huge SUV's. And the trend will be "green" cars. This is nothing more than a scheme to make money. Ford needs it, so they are the first to admit to the "problem" and first to publicly address how they are going to take care of the problem. People, when looking for a new car in the next few years, are going to look for a company that is as concerned with the current crisis as they are. So bye bye Mustang, bye bye big trucks. Hello Yaris type mobiles from Ford. And they'll succeed at this, because they are the first and the most serious about it. They are taking advantage of the panic that is going to insue.

It's all about money...it's always been about money...no one who is anyone in a corporation can think about anything else. Goodyear showed just how corporations work...the dumber you are, the higher up you get. And typically the more money you have, the dumber you are. The smart ones are hired as drones and do all the fancy talk and if they get paid enough, they'll do the number tricks that scare people into believeing what the dumb ones want.