In the story “Our Iceberg is Melting” we learn how a penguin colony deals with the change in the face of an impeding disaster. The penguins are living happily on their iceberg as they have done for many years. Then, one curious penguin discovers a potentially devastating problem threatening their home.
There is a crack forming at the base of the iceberg that is worsening with time and as it fills with water and then freezes again, eventually it will cause the whole iceberg to split. Fred the scout has identified the problem, but must cleverly convince and recruit the Louie the leader and other key members of the colony to strategically work their way to a solution.
This story is analogous to the challenges we face as a society that need to address climate change. Our biggest challenge will be to get people to face up and deal with this difficult problem, as no one seems to be listening. Maybe we can learn from Fred and Louie how to develop a plan and implement the change necessary to keep our Iceberg from melting.
How would “the Penguins” do it?
As a first step Fred and Louie have established a group that recognize there is a very serious “Planet Earth Survival” problem. They have put them in charge of guiding the change, set a sensible vision of a better future and have communicated that vision to others in a way that they will understand and accept it.
This group met at COP21, also known as the 2015 Paris Climate Conference. This is where 190 countries gathered to negotiate a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, with the aim of keeping global warming below 2°C. The conference negotiated the Paris Agreement, a global agreement on the reduction of Climate Change, the text of which represented a consensus of the representatives of the 196 parties attending it. The agreement will become legally binding if joined by at least 55 countries which together represent at least 55 percent of global greenhouse emissions. Such parties will need to sign the agreement in New York between 22 April 2016 (Earth Day) and 21 April 2017, and also adopt it within their own legal systems.
What is the Vision for a Better Future?
Next Fred and Louie, decided to create a vision for the Clean Energy Revolution. They started by gathering all of the movers and shakers to create an alliance called MISSION INNOVATION, to accelerate the development of clean energy innovation and to make clean energy widely affordable. At the launch, 20 countries committed to double their respective research over the five years to 2020. The countries include the five most populous (as at 2015): China, India, the United States, Indonesia, and Brazil. All 20 launch partner countries represent 75 percent of the world’s CO2 emissions from electricity, and over 80 percent of the world’s clean energy R&D investment. This alliance will develop biofuel, carbon capture, airborne wind turbines, nuclear fission and nuclear fusion.
This newly formed group will add to the work of scientists and engineers called the Global Apollo Program that are working on renewable energy, energy storage, smart grids and hydrogen vehicles. Funding will also be made available through the Breakthrough Energy Coalition, a global group of 28 high net work investors that are committed to funding clean energy companies.
How will Fred & Louie, address the Culture Change Challenge?
They suggest that if YOU lead by example and share your successes on social media, others will follow. If you tell somebody, and they tell somebody, pretty soon we will have started the Clean Tech Revolution. We will have created a world where it is cool to live in a NetZero Energy home powered by the sun, built sustainably by clean tech companies and green collar workers.
Will there be a ECOnomy?
This is where it gets real exciting for early adopters, entrepreneurs and clean tech startups as they will become business leaders in a sustainable ECOnomy. Countries like Sweden, Switzerland and Norway will benefit as they are already well on their way to creating Zero Carbon economies.
Companies like Interface Carpets, Patagonia and BMW to name a few will find demand for there products as more and more people recognize that our future depends upon making socially responsible choices, buying from companies that have bought into creating a sustainable economy.
We will see whole resource intensive industries like the building industry transform to where all building are net energy providers. Early adopters like Okanagan College, the Mosaic Center and EcoSmart Developments are already delivering NetZero energy building that provide a positive return on investment.
What you can do!
Fred and Louie are recommending that we all support the warriors and the countries that will make the Clean Tech Revolution come alive. They need for YOU to jump on board to support the mission. We need to become relentless in the pursuit of a new and better way, as the Icebergs are melting and we don’t want to let Fred and Louie down.You can get started by joining the #NetZero Energy Revolution by getting your homes and building as close to NetZero energy use as possible.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, for caring about the planet and for sharing this article with up and coming sustainability warriors.
Fred and Louie are recommending that we all support the warriors and the countries that will make the Clean Tech Revolution come alive. They need for YOU to jump on board to support the mission.
Dedicated to Fred, Louie the the ECO-Warriors out there!
For more information on how to build affordable NETZero homes visit our Blog at EcoSmart | Building the Future or for commercial the Integrated Designs | The Art of Project Delivery or for Lean Lab | Training and Workshops
No comments:
Post a Comment