A recent study commissioned by 20 governments through the Climate Vulnerable Forum has identified climate change as one of the major causes of death for the foreseeable future. According to the report, by 2030 more than 100 million people will die and global economic growth will be cut by 3.2% if the world fails to tackle climate change due to greenhouse gases caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Usually with reports like this, the accusing eyes of the world turn to the oil industry and in particular the Oilsands, but this is hardly drilling deep – pardon the pun – to the heart of the real issue.
Are Renewables & Conventional Oil more ethical than Oilsands?
This is a piece that I posted to my personal blog over eighteen months ago. My perspective here was to promote discussion (and there was a heated twitter debate between myself and two friends) and ultimately make people think about the impact of their personal choices first and foremost. This debate/discussion is still relevant.
Culled from www.blackpolitico.blogspot.ca
While we wait for the hydrogen-powered cars of the future, does no one think of the socio-political issues around drilling in the Middle East? Sure, you can suck up oil from the ground using a straw in those places, but at what cost to the people there? At what cost to generation X of the United States and its allies, who aren’t fighting a war for world peace or to bring down a tyrant – as was the case in the first two world wars, respectively – but who are fighting instead so that the West can have oil at $70 per barrel?
Welcome to Clean Efficiency
After a lot of procrastination and trying to put priorities in place, I’ve decided to launch my startup. Clean Efficiency (www.clean-efficiency.com), as the name hopefully suggests, is focused on helping clients achieve economic success without the attendant negative impacts on the environment they operate in or the global ecosystem as a whole. This is not just about the business-side, however.
The social aspect of sustainability is where it derives its greatest strength. By and large, change usually occurs because it becomes politik. This has been slow to occur in industry because although the ‘green lobby’ is in full force, they don’t always have a balanced (read, practical) approach to dealing with the issues of both large and small energy consumers who need solutions. This is the gap that Clean Efficiency hopes to fill.
This blog – and the twitter account @cleanefficiency – will act as the social heartbeat of this initiative. I will endeavor to post ideas, articles and op-ed pieces that align industry with sustainability while allowing the reader to form an unbiased opinion.
Enjoy!