We can all feel overwhelmed in the face of what global warming portends for ourselves and our planet. It is so refreshing then to witness the response of individuals, organizations and governments tackling the issue boldly and creatively. We don’t hear enough about this.
One of the most exciting ventures that deserves more notice is the recent alliance between two organizations, the Rocky Mountain Institute and the Carbon War Room.
This alliance combines cutting-edge technological prowess with entrepreneurial expertise into a powerful engine for creating and financing the emerging low-carbon economy. It’s this kind of dynamic private-sector partnership that will lead the way in implementing effective solutions to global warming.
Governments are stepping up too. During 1980–2009, for example, the Danish economy grew by two-thirds, while carbon emissions fell 21 per cent. The conservative Danish government has adopted a virtually self-financing strategy to get completely off fossil fuels by 2050 by further boosting efficiency and switching to renewables, which already account for 36 per cent of their electric generation. Europe as a whole is going in the same direction and the governments of Japan and China are moving that way as well.
These are but a few examples. History shows that the cauldron of adversity and challenge often forges humanity’s most creative, audacious, and profound responses. No challenge has perhaps been greater than global warming; it is heartening to see some of our best and brightest leading us into a different and better future.
Paul Campbell, Kaslo