Energy efficiency easiest path to aid climate Environment Reuters
Yesterday, on 8.28,, the first day of Vienna Climate Change Talks 2007 , the United Nations began to review a 230 page report on about climate investments to 1000 delegates from 158 nations. Bottom line - we need to focus on energy efficiency. Here are a couple quotes from this news article:
- Energy efficiency is the most promising means to reduce greenhouse gases in the short term
- "global additional investment and financial flows of $200 billion-$210 billion will be necessary in 2030 to return greenhouse gas emissions to current levels," including measures for energy supply, forestry and transport
- The study foresees a shift to renewable energies such as solar and hydropower, and some nuclear power
- The report also estimates that investments in helping nations adapt to the impact of climate change would run to tens of billions of dollars in 2030, such as treating more cases of malaria or building dykes to protect beaches from rising seas.
27-31 August, Vienna, Austria marks the fourth session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG 4) and the fourth workshop under the dialogue on long-term cooperative action to address climate change by enhancing implementation of the Convention. This meeting is taking place at the Austrian Center Vienna (ACV).
My comments: 158 countries have sent 1000 delegates to participate in this process. The actions required will fall heavily on the shoulders of leaders in government, business, and society to implement. This is both a tremendous business challenge, and an opportunity to innovate. Collaboration, innovative technology, ingenuity, strategic risk taking, cultural change - all this and more - will be required on a global basis.
IBM and many other global leaders are stepping up in significant ways. IBM is a gold sponsor of Corporate Climate Response Chicago - being held on September 25th and 26th. Gary Rancourt, from our Big Green Innovations team will speak on Energy Efficiency and Green Operational Innovation. The opportunities to improve our carbon footprint and increase energy efficiency, and often times - to save money in the process - go hand in hand.
A terrific book to read on this topic is Green to Gold - How Smart Companies use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage by Daniel C. Esty and Andrew S. Winston. Andrew Winston also offers an Eco-Advantage newsletter. According to Andrew "It’s a bi-weekly look not specifically on the latest news in green business, but more a strategic view – a lens for looking at how companies innovate and grow/profit with environmental thinking. "
Time to start thinking differently - and paving the way to a healthier, more secure future. And create Eco-Advantage along the way...
1 comment:
To accelerate “IMPLEMENTATION of ENERGY EFFICIENCY, CONSERVATION, RENEWABLES and Reduction in the use of fossil fuels”. R1
The U.S. government can initiate an aggressive program to encourage and expedite these concepts, reduce demand by spurring a revolution in energy productivity initiating:
One promising idea is to make energy efficiency trade-able, much in the same way as we trade oil and natural gas, or, indeed, carbon emissions. A system making energy efficiency trade-able in the U.S. -- companies would be able to sell credits when they exceeded new standards -- would quickly reduce total energy consumption while limiting carbon emissions. Adding a market mechanism to trade efficiency gains would make energy efficiency standards more palatable to industries that have resisted them in the past and expedite implementation of energy efficiency and fuel efficiency. – We have to devise a method to measure “ENERGY PRODUCTIVITY” (Anyone who has some good ideas please let me know).
“Money makes the world go round”.
YJ Draiman, Energy analyst
8/31/2007
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