I traveled to Pensacola this Christmas, over 2,000 mile going and coming, and I rented a car and drove to my son's home in Tennesee (~800 miles round trip). So for one vacation, I traveled almost 3,000 miles.
Expedia.com offered a Terra Card through which I could contribute to alternative energy research. It cost me only $15.00 for the distance I flew. The money supports development of wind power technologies in the midwest and carbon trading. From Wikipedia:
"Carbon Trading is an administrative approach used to control pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving reductions in the emissions of pollutants [1]. In such a plan, a central authority (usually a government agency) sets a limit or cap on the amount of a pollutant that can be emitted. Companies or other groups that emit the pollutant are given credits or allowances which represent the right to emit a specific amount. The total amount of credits cannot exceed the cap, limiting total emissions to that level. Companies that pollute beyond their allowances must buy credits from those who pollute less than their allowances. This transfer is referred to as a trade. In effect, the buyer is being fined for polluting, while the seller is being rewarded for having reduced emissions. The more firms that need to buy credits, the higher the price of credits becomes -- which makes reducing emissions cost-effective in comparison.
The overall goal of an emissions trading plan is to reduce pollution. In some cases, the cap may be lowered over time. In other systems a portion of all traded credits must be retired, causing a net reduction in emissions each time a trade occurs. In many cap and trade systems, organizations which do not pollute may also buy credits. Environmental groups that purchase and retire pollution credits reduce emissions and raise the price of the remaining credits as per the law of demand.
Because emissions trading uses free markets to determine how to deal with the problem of pollution, it is often touted as an example of effective free market environmentalism. While the cap is usually set by a political process, individual companies are free to choose how or if they will reduce their emissions. Moreover, the government does not need to regulate how much each individual company emits, making cap and trade a very cost-effective method of controlling pollution on a large scale."
I am sure there are other sources that should be checked against this rosey-view of carbon trading. If it is so effective we should see major trading going on and incentives driving companies to environmental ecstasy and savings. So....?
In October of 2006 the Arizona Corporate Commission set new energy standards: The Renewable Energy Standard would increase Arizona’s current goal of 1.1% renewable energy by 2007 to a standard of 15% by 2025. The rules state 30% of the standard is to be derived from distributed energy resources – small-scale technologies located close to where energy is used, such as roof-top photovoltaic projects or solar hot water projects. Go to Arizona PIRG for an excellent review of this new set of standards and the PIRG energy policy report for the nation: www.arizonapirg.org
Yet while all this is good and, in the long-term preventive, we must seek ways to reduce our individual contributions to warming right NOW. No one knows the earth system's natural threshold for warming. If we reach it, the system is altered irreversibly and it's a whole new ball game. We don't want to go there.
What can each of us do? Well, in a democracy we expect that people will freely choose to put in place the kinds of changes they can manage. Here are some simple things that will have an immediate impact if done collectively:
- Drive less. Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year!
- Turn down your heater thermostat to decease coal burning to produce electricity. Coal burning is Arizona's primary means of producting electricity.
- Install a solar water heater. On average, if you install a solar water heater, your water heating bills should drop 50%–80%. Also, because the sun is free, you're protected from future fuel shortages and price hikes. If you're building a new home or refinancing, the economics are even more attractive. Including the price of a solar water heater in a new 30-year mortgage usually amounts to between $13 and $20 per month. The federal income tax deduction for mortgage interest attributable to the solar system reduces that by about $3–$5 per month.
- Turn off the computer and radio when not being actively used. Better still, unplug the computer, tv and other electrical devices when not in use.
- Install compact flourescent bulbs: www.1000bulbs.com.
These simple things can be accomplished by most of us. Start with one. Then add another, etc.
Composted on New Year's Eve. May this year bring an end to war and the beginning of a new consciousness to respect and protect life everywhere on the planet. Peace my friend.
Susan
