climate change « MWW Pulse

Maureen O’Connor on the Evolution of Sustainability

Posted on : February 23rd, 2010 | By : Maureen O'Connor | In : Green, sustainability

Prior to 2000, most people had a hard time spelling sustainability, let alone practicing it.

Public awareness began to rise early in the decade, and thanks to influencers such as Al Gore (An Inconvenient Truth); William McDonough and Michael Braungart (Cradle to Cradle); and Michael Pollan (Omnivore’s Dilemma), sustainability became more mainstream and widely understood.

With this growing awareness of: climate change, land use, food shortages, and dwindling water supplies, almost every major corporation today now supports sustainability in some form – as either a real commitment or marketing ploy.

As leaders, designers, filmmakers, artists, activists, and environmentalists champion the cause, the number of conscientious consumers who inspect labels and do their due diligence before making a purchase, continues to grow.

We now see LEED guidelines incorporated into building codes on every level – from residential homes to skyscrapers and industrial parks. Green initiatives and sustainable practices are forming the mainframe and foundations of a broad spectrum of businesses.

Sustainability is now both an environmental and economic necessity. And going forward, smart new businesses across all sectors will be shaped by sustainability in order to succeed.

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Adam Shake on The Evolution of Sustainability

Posted on : February 23rd, 2010 | By : Adam Shake | In : Green, sustainability

At it’s core, sustainability is the responsible use of the planets natural resources. The need for individual and global sustainability is two fold. Most of the natural resources that we use are either un-replaceable or are being used at a far greater rate than they can be replaced. It is also through the increased use of many of these resources, specifically fossil fuels, that leads to increased levels of CO2 in our atmosphere and as a result, global warming.

The last decade has seen an incredible increase in climate change science, media news coverage of that science, increased understanding of that science through the media, individual NEED to make individual change and a corporate business model shift to provide consumers the tools and products to help them become more sustainable.

In 2000, sustainability was just “going public” and a lot of people still viewed it as a “Hippie Philosophy.” Being sustainable meant making individual decisions and choices thought of it as “voluntary Simplicity” or “Minimalism.” These terms were coined because for many years, people who lived sustainable lifestyles were viewed as “too poor to be able to live a consumer lifestyle.” Those who “Chose” sustainability for ethical or earth saving reasons wanted a way to show the world that it was a lifestyle “choice.”

Sustainability has gone mainstream and Government and Business have helped.

The US Green Building Council formally released its Leadership in Energy and Environment Design building standards (LEED) full Green Building Rating system 2.0 in March 2000. In 10 short years, a quick Google search of “LEED” results in almost 9,000,000 search results. Leed certification is starting to pervade almost every aspect of building design and architecture from “Green” houses to Commercial and Government buildings. Leed is an example of Government and Private Business working together for sustainability.

An example of Business helping people be more sustainable is the surge in canvas and cloth bags that are used for grocery shopping, aluminum drinking bottles, remote control surge protectors, organic produce, environmentally safe cleaning products, programmable thermostats.

Even with all these advances, there is controversy over Big Government being too involved in individual lives. For example, the U.S. Government is mandating the eventual elimination of incandescent lightbulbs by 2012, in favor of the more energy saving (and less fossil fuel burning) compact fluorescent lightbulbs. These and other innovations are viewed by some as infringement of individual rights. But with the increase in such things as environment destroying mountain top removal coal mining, the government must weigh individual rights with environmental security.

I believe that the we will continue to see both an individual acceptance of sustainability and more technological advances to assist with a more sustainable lifestyle.

Technological advances and greater acceptance of those advances will most likely include things like motion detection light switches, televisions and even heating systems.
We can also look forward to greater smart grid technology that will utilize renewable power sources such as solar and wind as primary energy sources that will switch to fossil fuel sources as back up.
Eventually, these energy grids will be able to store renewable energy that is generated during non peak hours to use during peak hours, perhaps getting rid of the need for fossil fuel generated electricity all together.
Lithium battery technology will continue to progress, to the point where we will all be able to drive hundreds of miles on one charge, before plugging into a publicly available recharging station run on renewable energy.
Green roofs (roofs covered with low maintenance plant materials, trees, grasses and shrubs) will become more standard on new construction as Leed certification becomes more attractive to builders through greater tax breaks and rebates.
The price of oil will continue to rise, helping to drive the funding of and public acceptance of bio-fuels, hybrid and electrical vehicles and public transportation.
Mixed use residential, retail and office buildings will be built in an effort to make pedestrian friendly neighborhoods and cities that people can live, shop and work in without having to commute long distances.

All of these things are already either being worked on, being improved or being rolled out. The future, in our case, must continue to be now. The future that we see for ourselves must be the present that we demand.

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Jasmine Chua on the Evolution of Sustainability

Posted on : February 23rd, 2010 | By : Jasmin Chua | In : Green, sustainability

Make fun of the Goracle and his inconvenient truths all you want, but our former vice president’s raison d’être was truly a watershed event. “An Inconvenient Truth” catapulted climate change and the need for sustainable action into the public consciousness and mainstream media. The fact that I can buy organic pears at my local ShopRite? It would have been unthinkable a mere five years ago. I’m hoping that we’ll soon be living in a future where “organic,” “sustainable,” and “ethical” becomes the standard, and when people ask (if they even have to) “is it good for the planet?” the response can only be, “why wouldn’t it be?”

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Janet Dean on the UN Climate Change Conference

Posted on : December 7th, 2009 | By : Janet Dean | In : UN Climate Change Conference

Regretfully, I don’t expect much to come from COP15 (The United Nations Climate Change Conference). In order to sway other emissions-heavy nations like China, the United States needs to commit to some major changes in our carbon emission goals and I don’t believe the Kerry-Boxer Senate bill is going to allow for that—the United States is far too committed to industry and the economy and anything that disturbs the status quo too much or threatens future campaign support is not likely to pass. Of course, bi-partisan backers of the bill in insist they can agree on terms now that will pass in February 2010, thus enabling U.S. negotiators some guidelines to work with at COP15, but I’m not convinced.

Regarding the impact of the outcome on business and consumer behavior, I don’t think there will be an impact for some time. The wheels of progress on something this huge will move very slowly, I predict. Of course, both businesses and consumers will eventually have to adapt to certain changes that I can’t predict but my hope is that there will be major developments in carbon reduction-oriented industries that will boost the economy and create new jobs to the degree that consumers won’t be adversely affected.

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Maureen O’Connor on the UN Climate Change Conference

Posted on : December 7th, 2009 | By : Maureen O'Connor | In : UN Climate Change Conference

The upcoming U.N. Climate Change Conference provides the opportunity for the world to make a stand against global warming. Will a strong, meaningful agreement result from the conference? Doubtful. The problems facing the conference are both complex and many. The world’s economic woes only make the job of cutting fossil fuel emissions and slowing deforestation exponentially harder. Here in America, President Obama, who is slated to attend the conference, is prepared to propose that the U.S. commit to cutting carbon emissions by 17% by 2020. Republican opposition and will ride the recent right wing success in slowing healthcare reform, and stirring up its base to question global warming science and position any U.S. signing of a climate change treaty as an abdication of national sovereignty and a fast track to economic ruin. Expect a nasty fight.

Ratification of an actual treaty will probably be delayed until 2010. If the signing does take place at the upcoming talks, the immediate impact on business and consumers in developed nations will ramp-up over the next decade with an incremental increase in prices for consumers and regulation for businesses as the transition to a “greener” economy takes shape. Long-term cost savings on healthcare, energy and lifestyle will take a while to kick-in, but ultimately may be far-reaching. Developing nations will benefit from a tremendous influx of aid and technology to motivate their embrace of “going green” at the expense (through carbon offset credits and direct financial aid) of major greenhouse gas emitters like the U.S., China and Europe.

The upcoming Climate Treaty that will replace the Kyoto Protocol will probably bear the signature of President Obama and a long list of other major developed and developing nations – but probably not China and India – a major drawback. The treaty can be expected to set targets seeking a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, a number that will not satisfy hardcore global warming reductionists and will enrage global warming naysayers. If the global economy shows improvement in the next twelve months the treaty has a real chance; if the global recession continues or deepens, climate change legislation and treaties may fall victim to more pressing day-to-day economic concerns.

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