What Are We Doing About A Clean Energy Future?


by Jean Cannon

Becauseof their huge polulation which has to result in higher emissions and the fact that it has not signed the Kyoto Protocal; China is seen by many as an obstacle to global carbon management when in fact they arew doing more than Australia and the uSA

But now some people are worried that China is moving too fast so that clean-energy companies in the West will be left in the dust.

Since the global financial crisis government in Europe and the United States are reducing support for clean-energy development, while emerging countries, led by China, have been investing heavily making competitiona difficult. There are concerns that have been expressed by the European Union that China will be in a very good competitive position because they are subsidizing clean energy very heavily."

The European Commission has also raised concerns with China about access to rare earth minerals and other elements used in clean-energy industries, including the manufacturing of electric cars.

Significant business opportunities should be delivered by the surge of investment in climate related industries and recent extreme weather around the globe should add to this pressure.

The western world should be adopting tougher rules for new and retrofitted buildings now, rather than setting pie in the sky goals that are decades away for cutting emissions and adopting renewable power. AQ recent quote said that "China talks about programs and policies rather than focusing on targets, we focus on targets too much."

Governments in the developed world are using carbon trading, or cap and trade to cut emissions and drive investment into climate-related industries. The European gosl when their established their carbon trading system was to cut their emissions by 20% from 1990 levels by 2020.

Carbon trading is having problems in Europe, including by computer attacks, tax fraud, recycling of used credits, suspicions of profiteering and extreme volatility.

Australia's Climate Change Minister, Greg Combet is talking about an emission trading system that does not affect the coal industry?!? I find that concept difficult to fathom

What is your business doing to prepare for some form of carbon limitation and escalating power prices? Both of these are coming and it simply does not make sense to go on ignoring the problem

We do not want too many repeats of intense La Ninas. One of the lesser recognised problems of climate change is that a warmer atmosphere holds more water vapour and water vapour itself is a very potent greenhouse gas that escalates the problem. This is nowhere near as easily managed as carbon dioxide and methane.

No one is immune to the increasingly variable climate and if we wait for our government to do something sensible about it, we are letting things drift for too long. Both business and individual action is needed. So what are you doing about it?

One very sensible approach is to implement an environmental management system and use this to help you address your carbon footprint.

In my own business I have had ISO 14001 for three years now as my of an integrated management system which includes ISO 9001 quality manageemnt and I am waiting now for my solar panels to bwe installed on my roof. I want better airconditioning to cope with the very high 42C temeperatures and when my solar panels are in place I can have this without increasing my emissions.

About the Author

Award winning consultant, trainer, author and speaker, Jean Cannon helps small to medium businesses to become truly sustainable. You can get more information at http://www.enviroaction.com.au/RCF-book.html

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