From Gore's blog: The Movement We Need
Remember Katrina? The gulf oil spill? Can you imagine 20% of America being underwater? Do you really think our government could handle a crisis like that?
In Flooded Pakistan, a Lack of Basic Supplies
Sustainable Buildings: What Are We Waiting For?
* The building sector is responsible for more electricity consumption than any other sector, 42 percent, and 15 percent of all greenhouse gas (GHG) Emissions.
* In the U.S., buildings represent 72 percent of all energy usage and 39 percent of greenhouse gas emissions (pdf). Yet, up to 50% of that electricity is wasted.
* In New York City, buildings account for 80 percent of carbon emissions.
* By 2025, buildings will be the single largest energy consumers and emitters of greenhouse gas on our planet.
Technology already exists that will allow us to utterly transform our buildings' impact on the environment. It's called the Internet. Along with cheap sensors (less than a penny each in some cases), the Internet becomes a network that can allow these buildings to be controlled for maximum energy efficiency; monitored for compliance; and customized to work better for inhabitants - floor by floor, room by room.
This is already happening today. Check out this example with the Calgary city school system in Canada.
We don't need any new inventions or legislation to solve one of our biggest environmental problems. What are we waiting for?
"This is a tragedy not only for some of the world's most biodiverse coral reefs, but also for people in the region," said Caleb McClennen, the New York-based group's marine program manager for Indonesia, noting that many depend on the rich marine life for their food and money earned through tourism.
...
"We are in a major heating period, it's breaking all records, and there are very furious worries now about the Philippines and eventually Taiwan and probably southern Japan," Wilkinson said. "This is really quite serious."
Indonesia's coral reefs dying at alarming rate
Investing in Clean Energy Manufacturing (800,000 jobs!)
A perfect storm... global recession, peak oil and climate change
OPEC's Spare Crude Oil Capacity - Will it Disappear by the End of 2011?
A lot of info here that adds up to scary.
ReplyDeleteYou got that right
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