Amidst all the negative news these days of scandals, wars, terrorism, and recessions both in the U.S. and abroad, there is some positive news coming out of Great Britain. It seems that out of all the developed-countries, Britain is the only one willing to step up to the plate and make ambitious pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their country. Britain on the other hand, also entrenched in recession recovery and dealing with the most severe budget cuts in decades, has however looked to the future and realized that if nothing is started now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it will be harder if not impossible in the future to do so. Their pledge is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2025, by far the only country to take steps this large yet. In comparison, the E.U.'s goal for cutting greenhouse gas emissions is 20% by 2020. The United States is lagging in this area with Obama setting a goal of only 17% by 2020 and that goal is contingent upon legislation being passed. So that means that the goal will be pushed farther and farther down as our legislators debate about the ability to reach the goal and how we should do it. What will Britain's ambitious cuts do to its economy? Some say that it will hurt the economy during this time of recovery and severe austerity measures in place. But there are those that see it as an opportunity to look at renewable sources of energy such as solar power and harnessing the power of the tides to produce energy. It will not only force them to look at new sources of carbon-free power, but it will also force them to re-look at the systems they already have in place and see how they can be improved upon. This can range anywhere from improving the efficacy of their power grid to burning more natural gas whose emissions are easier to capture, and also look to burying carbon emissions underground.
When we look at the world as a whole and take into account both developed and developing nations, it is the developed nations that need to take the biggest steps in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The developed countries are those that have established economies (whether or not they are suffering from a recession) and a higher standard of living for the majority of their populations. These countries have the greatest capability to reduce greehouse gas emissions versus those developing countries that are still seeing steep rises in emissions due to growing populations, rising standards of living, and increases in power production to facilitate the transition from a poor country to a competitive, established one. If the developed countries can not take the steps now to severly cut their emissions, what kind of example will that set for the developing countries such as China and India when they become more established and are confronted with reducing their emissions? If we look at China now, they have emphatically said no to any pledge to reduce or even cap their greenhouse gas emissions. Their contention is exactly what I just stated previously that as a developing nation, their greenhouse gas emissions will rise for some time before they will be able to cap them or even begin to start thinking of reducing them. This step by Britain is the first necessary step to set the example for the rest of the world.
The two largest producers of greehouse gas emissions are the United States and China. The United States, which should be the one setting the example and taking the largest steps to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions is the one that seems to be lagging behind the worst. It is fantastic that Britain is setting the example, but more developed nations need to see this as a necessary endeavor if we are to protect the world that we live in and provide a cleaner environment for our children and our children's children to live in. At our current rate of emissions, it is doubtful if there will ever be smog-free day anywhere. If we keep on driving our cars with poor gas mileage, devoting our money to fossil-fuels that produce excessive amounts of emissions and not funneling money into developing new technologies, then we are all royally screwed. Britain sees this as an opportunity to turn their nation into one that relies heavily on the financial sector for sustainability to one that can include manufacturing again as a mainstay. If that manufacturing is dealing with renewable sources of energy, then it will be even more sustainable as that is the direction that we all need to be heading towards. How can the United States be blind to the fact that in our own country with manufacturing dwindling drastically, jobs being constantly sent overseas, that this new arena of renewable energy sources and green products is the way to go if we want to re-invigorate our economy and take steps to dragging ourselves out of this recession.
We can all take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Whether it be from buying a more gas efficient car or even an electric one, to conserving energy consumption in our homes, to investing in renewable sources of energy; we can all take steps to reduce our own personal emissions and thus have a greater impact on the country we live in. Solar panels have been greatly improved over the last few years and their cost has diminished with that improvement. They are now easier to install with more contractors being able to do so and the cost is less. On top of that, most governments offer rebates for installing these panels. Another fantastic alternative to reduce our reliance on oil and other heating products is geo-thermal. While still expensive, if people are willing to do some of the work themselves, then they can assist in reducing the cost for their home and within 5-7 years, the installation of a geo-thermal system will pay itself off and after that, there will be no more heating or cooling cost because the earth will be providing that for the home. In sum, we should all look to Britain as the goal-setter in greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Let us hope that they can find viable ways of achieving their ambitious goal and in our own countries, lets encourage our governments to take the necessary steps to match or even exceed Britain's goal. Today, lets drive a little less, try to use a little less energy, and take steps together to forge a better world for the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment