The world is getting warmer - a fact that most people and scientists now agree to.

One of the main reasons for that change is the release of CO2 into the atmosphere.

In the second part of our series on global warming, Senior Reporter Glenn Jones looks at Bermuda’s thirst for energy.From his Ferry Reach laboratory at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) all the way to the Arctic Ocean and back again, Dr. Nick Bates has a career dedicated to the research and study of carbon dioxide (CO2).

CO2 is the atmospheric gas that, most scientists believe, is warming the earth like a slowly winding thermostat.

The gas is produced mainly from the emission of fossil fuels - power plants, planes, and cars are a few examples.

Dr. Bates’ comprehensive scientific knowledge of CO2 and his decades of residency in Bermuda make him uniquely qualified to assess Bermuda’s contribution to climate change.

And here’s his assessment: “Bermuda is energy hungry.”

Dr. Bates spoke with The Royal Gazette about his wide-ranging research in a narrow laboratory at the Bermuda Institute of technology.

He was not critical of Bermuda’s “energy hunger”, but he was frank.

“We use a lot of energy. We drive lots of cars. The number of cars per person is high.

“We use fossil fuels to generate electricity. We don’t have a lot of renewable energy so far coming into our energy supply.

“So yes, we are a heavy user per person,” Dr. Bates said.

As he spoke, planes could be heard landing at the Bermuda International Airport nearby. Dr. Bates believes Bermuda’s reliance on aircraft further drives up its hunger for energy.

He said: “We fly a lot — that produces a lot of CO2. Because we’re so isolated, by necessity, we have to travel.

“As Bermudians we like to travel a lot — that’s a fact of life which contributes to our heavy carbon use.”

Dr. Bates was also careful to provide global perspective to his analysis.

He said while Bermuda’s per capita energy use is fairly high, the total quantity would be small because the country is so small.

“If we were to compare ourselves to a country in the developing world, for example, somewhere like Zaire or Congo or Nigeria,” he said, “our per capita emissions are much much higher.

“We’re like the US, we’re like Canada, we emit a lot of CO2 per person. So relatively we are heavy users. The average person in Indian or China uses a lot less energy and produces a lot less CO2.”

Dr. Bates, who is the director of research at BIOS, did not describe the country’s hunger as greedy or uncaring.

His evaluation is especially important because he is one of about 2,500 scientists who have contributed to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The group says carbon emissions are the cause of global warming facilitated by human action and industrial growth.

As daunting as the assessment sounds, Dr. Bates believes there are methods that can be implemented in an effort to reduce Bermuda’s relatively high emission levels.

He feels the onus to make changes is on Government and individual Bermudians collectively.

“Using renewable energy is one of the options on the table, it’s been thought about for many many decades,” he said.

Dr. Bates cited solar, wind, hydro-electric and geothermal power as a few examples.

“But it’s not as simple as that,” he warns. “There are noise issues, huge capital — where would you put it? It will influence the aesthetics of the Island. And we rely on tourism still for a significant portion of out economic activity.

“It’s a very complicated story, but not hopeless.”

He believes the solution to a very complex problem lies in some very basic strategies.

Dr. Bates talked about shutting off the lights when you leave a room, instilling energy efficiency into the large business community, or even hanging clothes to dry outside instead of using a dryer.

He said Government should not wait for individuals to act, and individuals should not wait for leaders to take initiative.

“When dealing with things like climate change it has to be across the board.

“You can’t just leave it for the Government to sort out and you can’t just leave it for the individual. It has to be a co-ordinated response from all levels,” Dr. Bates said.

* See tomorrow’s The Royal Gazette>for renewable energy strategies that can be implemented at home.