Sponsored Post – from Green Energy Money
How does one quantify the value of Earth?
In essence, we already do – we call it economic systems and development. According to Wikipedia, the definition of an economic system is a system of production and exchange of goods and services and allocation of resources in a society. Economic systems include everything we use, produce (creating jobs) and sell, resources traded as commodities like water, oil, electricity, food; and literally all of the products we use to sustain our modern lifestyles.
The worth of planet earth is defined mostly by the goods and services we produce and sell. America’s consumerism has spread globally and now more than ever, our economic systems are driven by how much we produce and consume. But quantifying our resources regarding carbon emissions and energy reduction is changing as our government policies on energy and building practices are requiring energy reduction in everything we produce, from automobiles to buildings and technology.
Carbon markets are also emerging, although still in infancy, requiring some mandatory compliance with corporations (especially utilities) to reduce their energy consumption and produce more renewable energy. The financial sector has seen a dramatic shift in new economic models such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, and other indices that now quantify sustainability measures that transparently reflect their leadership and reduction in climate and energy impacts; and offer rewards and/or recognition for corporations engaging in this space.
These carbon markets are directly tied to climate change, an extremely controversial topic in the United States. Climate “experts” from groups like the Heartland Institute continue to push out claims denying the very existence of climate change, polarizing the issue even further and making it more difficult for the average person to separate reality from hearsay.
Naomi Klein’s new book, and film documentary of the same name, This Changes Everything, now in theaters, looks at this issue of climate change in America. Klein points to a certain level of denial and lack of accountability in our western culture. The book is well researched and does offer relevant correlations between social, trade and economic development; and offers solutions to change and shift our societies away from high-consumption and toward a new culture that demands sustainable practices. The documentary trailer, This Changes Everything can be viewed here.
This is something that is already happening now. Despite a polarized debate on climate change, governments, technology, etc., building and scientific communities have made significant advances with deployment of all the necessary components to support a sustainable lifestyle right now. And we don’t have to compromise modern conveniences to do so.
Sustainable building, transportation (electric and low emission cars) and technology costs are now more affordable than ever (solar has become over 60 percent cheaper just in the past two years). It doesn’t make financial sense to not incorporate them in our buildings and transportation. Building code and energy mandates being adopted and increased in the past few years have also played a role in market adaption. The bottom line: It is wiser to hedge our bets, reduce consumption and utilize current technology. We don’t need to argue or delay any longer and can agree on one common agenda. This agenda is the viability of, “sustainable-green economics.”
If high-performance building saves money and resources, why not just do it! By upgrading existing and new building stock, we can all agree that economic recovery, based on energy and carbon reduction, creates jobs, helps everyone and improves quality of life on our planet!
This blog was written by Teresa Lopez, CEO of Green Energy Money (GEM). GEM is a financial and green project planning and funding resource. It helps property owners achieve increased building and financial performance for their real estate investment.
