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November 2009 Archives
Treehugger's, "More than 100 iPhone Apps for Green Shopping," says it all.
According to CNN Money, The National Retail Federation (NRF) of the US estimated sales 2009 holiday sales will decline by 1% overall, compared to last year. (2008 holiday sales were down 3.4% over 2007.) In other words, this year's projected outcome appears to reflect that the economy (as gauged by holiday sales) is on the upswing.
Compare that news with The Financial Times September 21, 2009 front page article about the fall in industrial emissions in 2008:
"The recession has resulted in an unparalleled fall in greenhouse gas emissions, providing a unique opportunity to move the world away from high carbon growth, an International Energy Agency study has found. In the first big study of the impact of the recession on climate change, the IEA found that CO 2 emissions from burning fossil fuels had undergone a significant decline this year - further than in any year in the last 40. The fall will exceed the drop in the 1981 recession that followed the oil crisis."
Two ideas resound for me above the clash of these economic and environmental cymbals:
1) If we consume less, we have less carbon emissions, which may soften global climate catastrophe somewhat.
2) If we are to do better than survive global climate catastrophe, it will involve our changing the way we measure success. Metrics like the gross domestic product (GDP), being in the black and the consumer price index (CPI) will have to account for how much or how little carbon is emitted, natural resources used and toxins are released into air, water and land. Government subsidies and tax breaks will have to reward those efforts that regenerate and replenish the natural and human resources upon which we depend.
Oakridge National Laboratory published an interesting article. Check out: Shopping on-line reduces a midnight clear's carbon dioxide.
The White House announced today that US President Obama *will* attend COP15 (!!!!) and has created a Web site dedicated to the (most important meeting in human history,) the upcoming climate conference to begin in 10 days, in Copenhagen.
"Our generation's response to this challenge will be judged by history, for if we fail to meet it -- boldly, swiftly, and together -- we risk consigning future generations to an irreversible catastrophe."
-President Barack Obama, September 22, 2009
"Climate change is a clear and present danger to our world that demands immediate attention. The United States is fully engaged and ready to lead and determined to make up for lost time, both at home and abroad."
-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, April 27, 2009
Shouldn't we demand more?
UK Guardian reported today that the last of the world's industrialized nations has finally made a verbal commitment to create a legally binding treaty to cut emissions at Cop15, the Copenhagen Climate Conference:
"The move removes the biggest obstacle to a political deal at Copenhagen. America is the only major industrialized country that has yet to reveal its emissions reduction plan. The official did not give details on the stringency of the proposed cuts, but it is thought likely they would range from 14% to 20% from 2005 levels - still below those put forward by the EU and other industrialized countries."
US President Obama has still failed to commit to attend the conference along with leaders of Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom and other nations around the world. But today's announcement is nonetheless a significant step toward demonstrating the urgency of the situation. His campaign promise of a 14% reduction from 2005 carbon emissions levels by 2020, was followed by a house vote on a climate change bill last June, for a 17% reduction from 2005 levels by 2020 and a Senate bill with a proposed cut of 20%. Despite all this, the senate continues to drag its feet on the issue, saying an agreement before February is unlikely.
The United States full and visible commitment to finalizing an ambitious and binding treaty at COP15 is perceived as necessary for all world leaders to back the accord.
Do you want to experiment with your own life?
You control climate change.
How lucky do you feel?
(Worth the full 9 minutes.)
Anne Brones, "We're the last generation to get to decide if we act on climate change. So let's act together."
The Huffington Post is running a brilliant campaign, to solicit compelling little videos on climate change and what YOU can do about it. To ensure ample response to the contest and take it to the next level, the winner will be flown to Copenhagen to participate in the most critical conference to occur in our lifetimes: COP15.
"We are a species of unlimited appetites living on a planet with limited resources."
- National Geographic Earth Pulse: State of the Earth 2010, November 2009 (See also: Straining Our Resources, Satisfying Our Demands, and Crowding Our Planet.)
Also, check this out:
Thomas Hayden has written a compelling introduction to the National Geographic special addition (Earth Pulse). In the article, called "Making Sense of It All," he speaks eloquently on living with in our means,. Read it tree-less, online.
This May, the Center for American Progress published, "Global Warming's Six Americas: An Audience Segmentation Analysis." The report ranks level of concern of US residents regarding climate change and concludes that despite the economic hardship, 90% of Americans believe the United States should act to reduce global warming, even if it has economic costs and 67% believe the US should also , reduce its greenhouse gas emissions regardless of other international response. Of interest to business folk, the report also noted that people in the United States will be showing their levels of concern with their dollars, buying low-climate-impact goods and services:
"Very large proportions of the Alarmed and the Concerned are currently or intend to begin rewarding or punishing companies that are either enacting or opposing steps to reduce global warming. Overall, 58 percent of Americans--134 million adults--intend to reward or punish companies through their product purchases in the near term. The primary barrier to this consumer action, however, is knowledge--68 percent of these consumers say they simply don't know which companies to reward or punish.
More than half (52 percent) of the Alarmed and 17 percent of the Concerned have already or intend to contact elected officials in the next 12 months to urge them to take action on global warming. This represents a large potential "issue public" waiting to be mobilized. These groups express strong support for a wide range of climate and energy policies. This is shown, for example, by their strong support for regulating CO2 as a pollutant.
The very large size of the Concerned segment--one out of three American adults--and their increasing willingness to express their concern about climate change through changes in their consumer and political behavior, suggests that the United States could be rapidly approaching an important tipping point in public engagement."
The report was crafted by Anthony Leiserowitz, Director of Yale Project on Climate Change; Edward Maibach, Director of the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University; and Andrew Light, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and Director of the Center for Global Ethics at GMU. Read more.
Local Governments presented a roadmap to address global climate change called, "Cities, Local Authorities and Climate Change," at COP 14 in Poznań, Poland, in December 2008. The group continued to promote it during the Bonn Climate Change Talks in March 2009 and hopes that this blueprint for world-wide, local government inspired, anti-climate-change action will be adopted during COP 15 in December 2009, in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The group behind these world-wide, local efforts are Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), Metropolis, the C40 Climate Leadership Group, and the World Mayors Council on Climate Change. Each represents local, regional and national associations, networks and partners enabling regulations, conditions, capacities, resources, strategies, funding and actions to limit global climate change. The membership of this group represents HALF OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION, where 80% of the world's energy is consumed.
The associate press reported that India and China's respective climate change envoys, Shyam Saran and Xie Zhenhua spoke at conference October 22 in New Delhi, under growing UN pressure to agree on emissions targets prior to COP15. Saran says an agreement would have to allow India to continue to develop economically.
China Daily News reported that China is fully committed to fighting climate change. Is the U.S.?
Pew Center on Global Climate Change and the Asia Society's Center on U.S.-China Relations recently put out a to address the urgent issue of climate change.
Though some still argue that climate change is impossible during the present international economic crisis, the Pew report suggests action contra climate change will help the economy, not hinder it.
40 world leaders have agreed to attend the upoming (in 24 days!) Copenhagen Climate Conference (COP15), who some have deemed the most important meeting in human history. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and many other leaders from around the world, including those of the developing nations (i.e.: those most vulnerable to climate change) plan to attend. The presence of the heads of state at the Copenhagen conference will help to drive a viable solution. Read more about it in the Times article pictured here.
"Nothing is certain, but - and this is a fact conveniently overlooked by climate sceptics - although climate change may not turn out to be as bad as everyone says, it could be an awful lot worse. The only way to know for sure is to wait and see, by which time it will be too late." - UK Guardian
If you guessed this is a real photograph of California, you were right. Climate change has increased temperatures in California, making it more prone to wildfires. Wildfires release carbon, and accelerate climate change. Obama must be certain: we want him in Copenhagen this December, ensuring binding and ambitious climate emissions controls are set. Tell him! Photograph: David McNew/Getty Images
"If I am confident that all the countries involved are bargaining in good faith and we are on the brink of a meaningful agreement and my presence in Copenhagen will make a difference in tipping us over edge, then certainly that's something that I will do....The key now is for the United States and China, the two largest emitters, to come up with a framework that, along with other big emitters like the Europeans and those countries that are projected to be large emitters in the future, like India, can all buy into.... I remain optimistic that between now and Copenhagen that we can arrive at that framework." - Barack Obama
"There are those who will suggest that moving towards clean energy will destroy our economy - when it's the system we currently have that endangers our prosperity and prevents us from creating millions of jobs," - Barack Obama at MIT
The use of standardized reporting tools, such as the Global Reporting Initiative's (GRI) standards, represents a growing transparency in business. The improved disclosure, not traditionally a part of corporate governance practice, reflects businesses' desire to avoid risk and seize opportunities posed by climate change. GRI is one of many standards now commonly employed in corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting.
As of 2009, there are over 1,500 companies reporting using GRI standards . These companies, and the investors and financial institutions that invest in them, represent a collective power of $7 trillion.
Ceres, a nonprofit organization that creates tools to tie businesses' market success to ecological and social responsibility, has all the details.
http://www.ridemission.com/
Brundtland Report's definition of sustainability is likely the most cited: "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
How do you define sustainability?
I honestly can't recall the original source of this image, but I'm sure it made its way to my library during my sustainability / business training at the Presidio Graduate School. (If you know the source, please let me know.)
It's fascinating to see the waves of human innovation over time. Though I take issue with digital innovation appearing as having already peaked, my files overflow with data indicating we are in fact in the midst of a sixth wave of innovation: sustainability. More on this in coming entries, but, if you're in need of evidence: read Natural Capitalism, Hunter Lovins and Amory Lovins Blessed Unrest, Paul Hawken, or follow the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices.
YAY!
Deborah Moore at Green Schools Initiative answers the, "This is not an Endorsement," post:
"Actually, green cleaning *does* have to do with climate change! Certified green cleaners are required to be concentrated. So, concentrated cleaners substantially reduce the energy required to ship the products. Ready-to-use products are mostly water - which is heavy - whereas concentrated products the water is added on-site. And I think we would all want to avoid exposures to toxic chemicals that can cause asthma or cancer if there are readily available safer alternatives!"
The Green Schools Initiative was founded in 2004 by parent-environmentalists who were shocked by how un-environmental their kids' schools were and mobilized to improve the environmental health and ecological sustainability of schools in the U.S. Check them out!
That's right GREEN Porn.
I hope including the words porn, sex, graphic, hardcore, wild, outrageous---and Isabel Rossalini--increases this blog's number of visitors. These words are accurate descriptions of this amazing ecological pornography. Enjoy!
It takes more energy to raise a cow for a steak or glass of milk, than it does to grow a tomatoes and garbanzo beans for a vegan lunch. Of course, there's also the fact (that Michael Pollan details in his new book, "In Defense of Food,") that most the food in the Safeway across the street is grown on massive farms, using large (read: fossil fuel powered and carbon emitting) machinery. Add in the CO2 emissions of distribution and storing the food at safe temperatures until it is sold, and you can see it's quite a CO2-intensive operation. So it's easy enough to make the leap to the basic principal that eating vegan and eating locally grown food from small farmers, contributes less to global climate change. If you doubt me, you may see University of Chicago study CO2 emissions of foods and diets. Or, measure your own diet's emissions with Bon Appetit's food carbon calculator.
It's not too difficult for a native Californian to go vegetarian; in my case, I often do. But VEGAN? OMG. It's already getting harder and harder to find safe sustenance. The thought of giving up milk in my chai and cheese on my pizza, it tortures me. I'm going to add consuming-dairy to giving-up-flying as the two activities that most pain me in my meager, personal fight against climate change. Any recommendations? (Don't say, eat soy-cheese and bike to Muir Woods!)
Environmental Working Group (EWG) cleaning products study was just released. It says cleaning supplies used in schools commonly include 450 toxins, including chemical agents linked to asthma and cancer.
Some of the culprits (when used as directed) include, Febreeze Air Effects air freshener and Simple Green (!!). The worst was Comet Disinfectant Powder Cleanser, which (again, when used as directed) produces formaldehyde, benzene, chloroform and other chemicals known in the state of California to cause cancer and reproductive harm.
Classroom cleaners can deliver harmful fumes to millions of school children each day, and parents have no way to know about it. Cleaning products aren't required to list ingredients on the label, leaving school systems and everyday consumers without critical information to make the smart choices.
- Rebecca Sutton, Ph.D., Environmental Working Group Senior Scientist
What does this have to do with climate change? You tell me.
