| Action On Climate Change |
Article Index for Action |
Website Links For Action |
Information AboutAction On Climate Change |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE | |
| climate change | |
|
Action on Climate Change can take many forms, all of which have the ultimate goal of limiting and/or reducing the concentration of Greenhouse Gas es in the atmosphere. POLITICAL ACTION Political action is useful for changing laws and regulations that relate to climate change, such as tax incentives and Greenhouse Gas emissions limits. It can also be useful for gaining media and public attention to climate change. There are many forms of political action on climate change. These include letter writing, direct Lobbying , and public shaming of politicians and political and media organizations. Many people choose to support only those who offer plans to convert to Wind Power and Electric Vehicles . PROTEST MOVEMENTS An increasing number of groups from around the world are coming together to work on the common issue of climate change. Non-governmental Organization s, NGOs, from diverse fields of work are finding they have an issue to unite on. A Coalition of 17 NGOs called Stop Climate Chaos recently launched in Great Britain to highlight the issue of climate change. Another group, the Campaign Against Climate Change was created to focus purely on the issue of climate change and particularly to pressure Governments into action by building a protest movement of sufficient magnitude to effect political change. INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL FRAMEWORKS Kyoto The primary international policy framework currently in existence is the United Nations Framework Convention On Climate Change (UNFCCC), specifically the Kyoto Protocol , which sets emissions limits for many of the world's most economically developed nations. The EU ETS Under Kyoto, countries with targets can elect to reach these targets in co-operation with other countries. The system ensures the reductions are made for the least possible costs. Most reductions are made where these reductions are cheapest, and the excess reductions can be sold on to other countries where such cuts would be less economically viable. LIFESTYLE ACTION
BUSINESS ACTION Increased energy efficiency For many companies, looking at more efficient usage of energy can pay off in the medium to long term; unfortunately, shareholders need to be satisfied in the short term, so regulatory intervention is often required, to encourage prudent conservation measures. However, as carbon intensity starts to show up on balance books through organizations such as the Carbon Disclosure Project , voluntary action is starting to take place. Recently there has been a spate of companies acting to improve their energy efficiency. Possibly the most prominent of these companies is Wal-Mart . Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the US, has announced specific environmental goals to reduce energy use in its stores and pressure its 60,000 suppliers in its worldwide supply chain to follow its lead. On energy efficiency, Wal-Mart wants to increase the fuel efficiency of its truck fleet by 25% over the next three years and double it within ten years, moving from 6.5 mpg. This seems an attainable goal, and by 2020, it is expected to save the company $494 million a year. The company also wants to build a store that is at least 25% more energy efficient within four years. Use of renewable energies Renewable energies and renewable energy technologies have many advantages over their fossil fuel counterparts. These advantages include the absence of local pollution such as particulates, sulphur oxides (SOX's) and nitrous oxides (NOX's). For the business community, the economic advantages are also becoming clearer. Numerous studies have shown that the working environment has a significant effect on workforce morale. Renewable energy solutions are a part of this, wind turbines in particular being seen by many as a potent symbol of a new modernity, where environmental considerations are taken seriously. A workforce seeing a forward-looking and responsible company is more likely to feel good about working for such a company. A happier workforce is a more productive workforce. More directly, the high oil and gas prices of 2005 have only added to the attraction of renewable energy sources. Although most renewable energies are more expensive at current fuel prices, the difference is narrowing, and uncertainty in oil and gas markets is a factor worth considering for highly energy-intensive businesses. Another factor affecting the uptake of renewable energies in Europe is the EU Energy Trading Scheme (ETS or EUTS). Many large businesses are fined for increases in emissions, but can sell any "excess" reductions they make. Companies with high-profile renewable energy portfolios include an aluminium smelter ( Alcan ), a cement company ( Lafarge ), and a microchip manufacturer ( Intel ). Many examples of corporate leadership in this area can be found on the website of The Climate Group , an independent organization set up for promoting such action by business and government. Large-scale carbon offset The principle of Carbon Offset is fairly simple: you decide for whatever reason that you don't want to be responsible for accelerating climate change, you cannot afford to stop doing whatever it is you are doing, so you decide to pay someone else to take up new low-carbon technologies. Every unit of carbon that is not emitted due to your funding of renewable energy technologies is seen as offsetting the emissions you are making. In many cases, encouraging uptake of renewable energy and energy efficiency schemes, particularly in developing nations, can be a relatively cheap way of making an event, a business, or a project "carbon neutral". Many businesses are now looking to carbon offset all their work. An example of a business going carbon neutral is , and the publishing house New Society Publishers . The Guardian newspaper also offsets its carbon emissions resulting from international air travel. SUB-NATIONAL LEVEL ACTION Action on the sub-national level means action on the individual level. Fighting for sustainable development isn't a case of proving that global warming does indeed exist or pointing fingers anywhere else. It's about making personal decisions and coming together in communities to do what is best for the environment, even if that means making sacrifices. Politically, we can make change more effectively if we can show our devotion to the environment at the polls as well. Sustainable development is impossible without the organization of communities and the education of the populace on how to live by less-destructive means. EXTERNAL LINKS Climate change science
Protest and direct action groups
International political action
Lifestyle action
Business action
Sub-national action
|
|
|