Posts Tagged ‘Environment’

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Destroy The Rainforest To Save The Environment?

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

This write-up demonstrates an important economic and life lesson: actions with even the best intentions can have unintended consequences, so we need to really think about all the consequences and the people whom we might affect.

  • Concerns about climate change have fueled a massive, global increase in demand for alternative fuels like biodiesel, which can be refined from the oil palm tree.
  • Although the use of biofuels itself releases way less carbon than fossil fuels, the destruction of rainforest necessary to produce the palm oil results in much more carbon dioxide being released than the use of petroleum-based fuels.
  • Even though there are laws in place to protect endangered forests, those laws are not being enforced and the majority of the forest is in danger of being irreparably destroyed and replaced by oil palm plantations.

Facts & Figures

  • U.S. subsidies for biofuels are set to total $92 billion between 2006 and 2012.
  • When the destruction of the rainforest is factored in, oil palms produce 10 times more carbon than petroleum.
  • 98% of Indonesia’s rainforest will be degraded or destroyed by 2022 if the current rate of destruction is kept up.

Best Quote

“For the permit certification, a guy just comes to your office and you just pay him off. This is how it works.” – Ong Kee Chau, former executive at Wilmar International Ltd.


The Truth About Bagging Your Groceries

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
You might not have realized that you can change the world, save or destroy the environment with just two little words: paper or plastic.
  • Plastic grocery bags were introduced 30 years ago and today, hundreds of billions are dispensed each year.
  • A major problem with plastic bags is that they are rarely recycled and often end up becoming deadly traps for fish and birds.
  • It is generally agreed that paper bags pose less of a litter problem, but they require more water and energy to produce than plastic bags.

Facts & Figures

  • The plastic industry estimates that only 10% of Americans don’t reuse plastic bags, but the Environmental Protection Agency points out that they are recycled at less than one-third the rate of paper bags.
  • There have been some instances of discouraging plastic bag use: Ireland imposed a tax on plastic grocery bags in 2002, San Francisco banned plastic grocery bags in 2007, and China banned the distribution of free plastic grocery bags in 2008.
  • Recycling rates for plastic bags exceed 30% in some European countries.

Best Quote

“There is simply zero justification for manufacturing them anymore, anywhere.” – Achim Steinger, Executive Director of the U.N. Environment Program

Your Grandparents Had War Bonds. You’ll Have Climate Bonds.

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

Not your Grandma’s socially responsible investment, climate bonds address one of the most pressing issues of our generation: climate change.

  • James Cameron of Climate Change Capital has proposed environment bonds (also called climate bonds) as a way for governments to raise money to develop clean technology.
  • Bonds offer secure returns, which should appeal to investors in the current economic climate, as well as contribute to the sense of renewed idealism among investors who seek to use their finances for good causes.
  • Environment bonds would be directed to the new technologies and infrastructure needed to lower and trap carbon emissions.

Facts & Figures

  • Bonds were created in the 20th century to fund World War II fighting efforts.
  • From 2000-2030, carbon dioxide emissions are predicted to increase by 40-110%.
  • It takes carbon dioxide 100 years to filter out of the atmosphere.

Best Quote

“I sense that there is now will for people to put their money to productive use. There is something powerful in the idea that, ‘My money built that and it works and I use it.’ Building things for a purpose that binds investor, worker, user – and society – is a noble cause.”  – James Cameron, Executive Director of Climate Change Capital

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