Global Economy Shifts Around Climate Change
Growing evidence suggests that the global economy is now destroying its own ecological base and offering little to billions of impoverished people.
~World Watch Institute Environmental decline and persistent mass poverty suggest that the dominant model for economies worldwide is in crisis.
~ Gary Gardner and Thomas Prugh, Worldwatch Institute
Few could argue with the above statements on the ever widening global divide between the haves and the have-nots of this world.
The good news may well be that a group of pioneering entrepreneurs, private organisations and governments around the globe, are on the case and working hard on inventing the Earth’s first sustainable global economy, tabled in a report aptly labelled 'State of the World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy.’
All that jargon translates to an expanding dollar base made available for renewable energy sources which harnesses - wind, solar and water. (I sound like Captain Planet).
The report urges a full assessment and valuation of the services that nature provides ‘free of charge’ to the human economy over those that ‘cost us heaps.’ It describes several really practical initiatives that can further be taken to create profitable markets, whilst also protecting biodiversity.
The report cites that ‘green accounting programs’ are already in place in at least 50 countries, identifying 20 more countries that are planning to initiate such programs.
I don’t know if that is good enough news to offset the UK’s sudden big push for nuclear power as a means for future folly, but reading it sure made me feel a little better…
According to the State of the World 2008 project co-directors, Gary Gardner and Thomas Prugh;
“Once regarded as irrelevant to economic activity, environmental problems are drastically rewriting the rules for business, investors, and consumers alike, and currently affecting over $100 billion in annual capital flows.’
According to an independent report by Environmental writer Adam Smith, the list of big names to grace the halls of this new environmental initiative over the past two years includes; Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, McKinsey & Company, and Wal-Mart.
And, preliminary estimates indicate that Carbon trading is growing even more explosively, reaching an estimated $30 billion in 2006, nearly triple the amount traded in 2005.
The most exciting news for the environment and future generations is that more and more companies from across the globe are rising to the challenge of revolutionising industrial production without nuclear means, in order to meet the new environmental challenges, and finding that they’re saving money, rather than loosing it, as was first believed.
One example of this is the chemical giant DuPont, who last year, had cut its greenhouse gas emissions to 72% below 1991 levels, saving $3 billion in the process!
Another sign of dramatic change in global investment is in the emergence of approx. 575 environmental and energy hedge funds, most of them formed in the last few years.
In fact, in less than a decade, since the Kyoto Protocol was adopted, renewable energy has evolved rapidly from an 'alternative' source of energy, to a viable and readily available mainstream energy option, in no less than 48 countries around the world.
You can view the REN21 Renewables Global Status Report 2007 for yourself and see the results on easy(ier) to read charts and graphs <<here>>.
However, in very rough written detail, growth rates of sustainable energy across the globe looks like this;
Growth Rates 2006
Wind 25-30%
Solar PV 50-60%
Solar Thermal 15-20%
Biofuels 15-20% (future growth here, remains iffy).
Back to the State of The World 2008 report; and to avoid economic collapse at the global level, the authors have clearly outlined and called for more major reforms in governmental policy making. They have implored governments to continue to steer investment away from destructive activities such as the extraction of fossil fuels and nuclear plants toward a new generation of environmentally sustainable industries.
One very workable recommendation includes making prices ‘tell the ecological truth’ by reducing subsidies and adopting environmental taxes instead of mining profits.
Gardner and Prugh maintain that;
We have the tools today to steer the global economy onto a completely green sustainable path. The task now is to bring them together and scale them up so that they become the norm across all today’s economies.
~oOo~
All business aside, and just to digress for a moment, [a flashback] to my post on Lester R. Brown’s book; Plan B 2.0, A Budget for Saving Civilisation, and be aware that in it, Lester outlined that the world’s current Military Budget alone, is nine times more than what is needed to restore the balance to the poverty and eco-debt currently outstanding on the planet.
I couldn’t help but think about it when I was writing this post.
Just to quickly re-cap, Lester’s figures looked like this;
Country -- $Current Military Budget (p.a.)
United States - $492 billion
Russia - $65 billion
China - $56 billion
UK - $49 billion
Japan - $45 billion
France - $40 billion
Germany - $30 billion
Saudi Arabia - $19 billion
India - $19 billion
Italy - $18 billion
All others (combined) $142 billion
World's Military Expenditure - $975 billion
Plan B Budget requirements to normalising global poverty and eco-debt - $161 billion
Perhaps I am being naive, but I still say that it would be nice to see some of the world’s current war funds re-routed to sustainable wind, solar and crop farming initiatives... like Lennon, I can imagine.
Climate Red
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Phil's Wellness Tips
Here's hoping they maintain the no need for Nuclear stance.
Thank you
P.S. on the other thing submitting a report to them next week and will include your stuff. No meeting as yet I guess she is a bit busy
Hunt Famous
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Fat Cult
Techbreak
...$492 billion!?!
From The Home Front
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Thanks for the compliment. Sad news from Sydney, I’ve heard they have decided to build the Nuclear Desalination plant at Kernell… but not use it. You know as a just in case measure? I am not surprised because I knew Labor had to change its nuclear policy to get in, *Hangs head* … still they are doing so much good in all other areas.
I am really hopeful that our ‘stuff’ will hit the mark and have them available soon.
All my blessings and good luck with it … (awaiting news)…
Thanks
Lilla …
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*hangs head* (again), I know where you are coming from, it’s outrageous!
Celebrity Obsession
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It is too much, isn't it?
The ridiculous thing is that the Plan B Budget's $161 million is enough to not only create fresh water and agriculture, but sustainable planting of trees too for future generations.
The top heavy Champagne glass of the worlds economy is bizarre and has no base to stand on ... it will have to fall, there can be no doubts that a pyramid is a stronger structure.
Thanks for stopping in, I hear that poor girl is back in the asylum... under the circumstances I think it the best place for her.
Lilla ...
Alpaca Notes - Tasmania
If it can save them money, others might also be more interested.
Fingers crossed.
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
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Yes, I agree... at least they have noticed the writing on the wall.
Thanks for stopping by.
Lilla ...
PS my eldest daughter is flying to visit her neewly relocated friend in Horbart next month.. her first visit and I suspect - coming from Q - she'll find it a bit chilly...*lol* stil I've told her if she likes it, we can move there.
Killer Beats
Ramble On
Hipnotherapy
What a wonderful post. My country's military budget is cause for pause. I am with Rosemary, I want more action less talk. Thanks friend for always presenting useful information for us to consider so that we too can be envirowarriors.
Mis
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I never can understand why these issues are not raised at the election campaigning, it seems to me that they are the key issues on both sides of the fence, yours and mine. The truths seem so easily swept under the carpet in these days of technological gadgetry induced distraction.
I just finished watching Amazing Grace night before last, and it was a wonderfully empowering rendition of the life of the abolitionist, William Wilberforce... I remember from my school book days in primary, thinking... wow it only takes one person to start a movement, revolution or madness ... I was awed then at how amazing and powerful we all are when totally committed and focused on something?
Dare I dream a world where everyone becomes an evirowarrior, willing to stand and tell the governments and corporations of the world... NO, through their consumer choices. As consumers we have the power, if only we can resist the pull of the advertising campaigns. *chuckle* not an easy course.
Aw, thanks for the compliment Miss, I am glad you find the information interesting too, these big picture sweeps, fascinate the hell out of me.
Hope all is well and the spring is a pretty one... did I hear correctly that you had floods up your way recently, too?
Lilla ...
Killer Beats
Ramble On
Hipnotherapy
I am so surprised that so many of us do not fight the good fight for God's creation and creatures! Why do we put politics in front of good sense?
Mis
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Such a good point and I can't get my head around it, at all... to me its all bullshit!
Trouble is the consumer has fogrgetten his power in supporting or poo~poo~ing it. The propaganda box has done such a good job of making us all feel so powerless, hasnt it?
Lilla ...