Even without emission reduction mandates and without compelling incentives toward creating the products and processes that will lead to a green economy, a slew of corporations are greening their buildings, drastically reducing energy use and producing greener products. Nike's new distribution center in Tennessee is one example among thousands - it uses 50% less energy than similar conventional buildings, and Nike is spreading the savings to factories in China and Vietnam.
One of the bones of contention in Copenhagen is China's reluctance to verify its emission reductions. But China's Meteorological Administration has already purchased a greenhouse gas analyzer from California -based Picarro, a start-up in a brand new industry - carbon tracking. In contrast to current methods for measuring emissions, which rely on estimates based on energy and fuel consumption, Picarro's patented technology accurately measures emissions. Laser beams detect changes in wavelength signals in the air, indicating concentrations of greenhouse gases.
Picarro raised $22 million in venture capital and is rapidly hiring employees, including scientists, physicists, engineers, sales reps, and technical service people. And competitors are already lining up. LI-COR Biosciences, Agilent Technologies, Thermo Scientific and the Scripps Institute of Oceanography are all developing similar technologies.
Another example is the transition from fossil fuel-based plastics to greener plastics. Kodak and Novomer are building a pilot plant to produce plastic wrap that's healthier for people, preserves food better, while reducing reliance on petroleum and finding uses for carbon dioxide.
The product, polypropylene carbonate, consists of 50% fossil fuels and 50% CO2. Using 100% petroleum to produce plastic currently consumes about 10% of the oil in the U.S. If Novomer's process was widely accepted, fuel consumption would drop 5%. Imagine if all kinds of plastic could be created without any fossil fuels?
What's missing are strong incentives for companies to move in that direction.
The point is, the world absolutely must reduce carbon emissions so the earth's temperature rises no more than 1.5°C - we've already surpassed that level. Politics as usual isn't getting us there and we're out of time to waste.
The totality of human commerce has brought the earth's species to its knees - cutting down the world's forests, acidifying the oceans and threatening most every species - including us - with extinction. For every point that we reduce carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions, we will improve conditions on earth. Viewed another way, for every incentive we provide to protect our biodiversity and create healthy products, we enhance life on earth.
I don't care which way we take to get there, we just have to get there.
++++
Rona Fried, Ph.D. is CEO of SustainableBusiness.com
