Green is going mainstream. A shift in public opinion has made climate change a political issue. Maybe even more important, business see that going green means money.
July 31st 2006 – Los Angeles. Climate change jumps to the front page as California and the United Kingdom sign an agreement committing both to dramatic cuts in carbon dioxide emissions. The agreement is a bold challenge to official U.S. policy and reflects changing public opinion. Multi national polls reveal that an amazing 70 percent of people rate climate change as a key issue.
At the same time as the Los Angeles agreement is announced 25 of the worlds biggest cities including Delhi, Cairo, London and Mexico City also agree to cut carbon emissions. Together, this cities generate approximately 15% of the worlds carbon dioxide. Another push in that direction came with the remarkable growth in demand for low carbon alternative fuels.
October 18th 2006 Quan Chi Chuan – China. Builders brake ground on one of the largest ethanol plants in the world. This gigantic operation will generate over 400,000 gallons of low carbon biofuel per day. This is part of a global trend in producing ethanol and biodiesel. Right now there are over one hundred ethanol plants in the U.S. and others are under construction. The growth is a boom to farmers because all of this biofuels are made from crops like corn, sugar cane, or palm trees. It’s a net benefit in the fight agains global warning too. Compared to regular gasoline, ethanol cuts climate changing gases by almost half. But, in terms of their popularity, biofuels have a long way to go. At the moment, they make up only a little bit over 1% of the total transport fuel consumed worldwide.
Salvation and going green seem to get on the same track. Regardless of what prompted the shift, people voted with their wallets. Consumers demand for solar energy jumped by 30% and wind generated electricity grew even faster. As people become more green shoppers they’re demanding not only more green products but more green companies too.
Many firms, including the worlds largest, concluded by building new stores with renewable resources, including wind generators and solar panels that can not only do good, they can do well.
For experts, tracking the health of the planet this are signs of hope. Some are concerned that we’ve already passed the tipping point. If all the extra green house gases humans have pumped into the atmosphere were removed would the sea ice come back? Would the deserts retreat?
Everyone of us needs ten trees to take care of our own carbon dioxide. Let’s plant our own trees, don’t use the trees of others
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