During the week of January 22 of this year, the European Union ushered in its next-step toward drastically reducing carbon emissions amongst corporate and industrial polluters. The EU plans to gradually decrease available carbon credits, while urging countries to spend money earned from credits on research for renewable energy and emissions reduction projects.
Are the economic dangers of creating more stringent emissions guidelines and regulations greater than the impending climate crisis? The Bush administration obviously thinks so. Reading this article in The New York Times made me more frustrated and upset at the United States’ refusal to sign the Kyoto Protocol in the first place, (as many of you may feel the same).
But why should we remain quietly upset? The current global climate emergency requires each individual to reduce carbon emissions; following Henry David Thoreau’s sentiment: your country needs consciences more than it needs conscienceless robots.
Looking for a way to start? Check out UK based company Earth, Wind, and Fire. Their mission statement is to “make solar water heating affordable to everyone.” The website estimates that installing a solar powered system can save you about 70% of your usual water heating expenses.
Or, sign up with together.com, (which will soon have a US counterpart), an organization that will continually send you free, inexpensive ideas to reduce your carbon footprint daily, and is supported by TheClimateGroup.org, an HSBC Climate Partnership program; here’s info regarding their New York State case study.
Since 1951, The Nature Conservancy has grown to be the “world’s largest conservation organization with net assets of $4.3 billion”. Learn about and support their initiatives or calculate your carbon footprint, to embark on your personal carbon reduction journey.
photo credit: via The Nature Conservancy
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