Scarcity in Energy and Resources inspires the Clean Revolution of Mankind

By Changhua Wu, Greater China Director, The Climate Group.

(12-11-2011)

Are you a person with dreams and goals? If you are, you must long for a greener world with low carbon, high efficiency and cleanness.

In such a world, daily lives and economic activities rely on clean and renewable energy. The amount of raw materials used in production and consumption is minimized, and all the materials can be recycled.

Waste of energy and resources no longer exists, because it is a wrongdoing as well as a cost. To create the fantastic world, consumers should be aware of resources, environment and ecology. The political system should strictly punish those who make a waste of resources and produce wastes.

Corporations should place great emphasis on high efficiency in utilising resources and energy when innovating. The concept of “carbon neutral” should be extended to other resources, such as water, woods, minerals and so on.

A better tomorrow appears to be far away, yet, it is in fact right around the corner.

Nowadays, some corporations, neighbourhoods, cities, and states have begun to explore and carry out the dream. Many have started to benefit from the changes when the profit in economy, environment and society is maximized.

My recent schedule has been full of seminars and activities with regard to the issue. I have heard more and more successful cases carried out by corporations, which makes me excited and become even firmer in promoting the belief and movements of The Climate Group.

Since HSBC claimed to have achieved ‘carbon neutral’ in 2005, corporations that care about their carbon footprint have been springing up one after another. This was the start of low carbon movements in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and all other regions worldwide.

Companies in electronics, clothing, retails, and other industries are shedding lights on managing their carbon footprint, controlling the consumption of energy and reducing carbon emissions of their suppliers. Multi-national brands, including IKEA and HP, particularly emphasize the work.

Chemical engineering industry is the traditional major consumer of energy and resources also emit huge amount of carbon and other pollutants. While controlling energy consumption in the factories, it is important to turn to technical innovations to create new products that apply to low carbon, green future.

Famous international chemical engineering companies, inclusive of BASF, Bayer, and Du Pont, are transforming and revolutionizing continuously in the past century to attain fruitful results.

The notion of green and low carbon is vastly promoted to the entire society. It will inspire a down-top Clean Revolution.

Cities are the most basic and crucial unit in today’s modernized society. They are the origin of the problems we are discussing today. Cities consume up to three quarters of the world’s resources and emit just as much gas and pollutants. They are also the centre of policy, capital, talents, infrastructure and other diverse resources.

Judging from this fact, cities must be the main arena of green transformation today in order to solve the challenge mankind is facing when tackling scarcity in resources and energy, pollution, and climate change. In fact, the Clean Revolution has been launched in many cities, from Stockholm and Copenhagen, to London and New York; from Hangzhou and Wuhan to Dubai and Kashgar.

These cities are exploring and practicing the revive of low carbon through city planning, resources management, architecture, transportation and then go even further to deal with applications of renewable natural resources, financing and investing system as well as green industrialisation.

The atmosphere is inspiring the innovation in technology and the capital market. The entrepreneurs are encouraged to focus on green and low carbon. Several well-known companies, such as Landsea, Yuanda, Fengsung, and Dangdai, have emerged in China. Although they do not sound big in scale and are new in the industry, yet they are able to capture the global trend and opportunities in the market, quickly establishing their unique way of doing business toward success.

International brands do not want to be left behind. Swire Group, ARUP, and CBRE, the long standing brands, should be rewarded for having brought their acknowledged experiences into China, aggressively taking parts in China’s development of the emerging market of green architecture.

I like to depict the future in a simple language that even a child can understand. The beautiful world that we are heading for is like a house that everyone is willing to live in. We have seen corporations and leaders of the cities bringing the bricks required to build the house by putting their ideas into practice. However, we all know that the bricks we have now are not enough to construct our house. We require more companies, cities and individuals to join us to create even more bricks. Furthermore, it is even more crucial that we acquire systematic thoughts and a holistic designer that puts every effort together to make a good project to build this house in order to make sure that we do not make unnecessary waste and errors during the constitution.

Imagine the time when we attained such a perfect systematic plan and designs; when we have acquired more bricks; and when we are backed up by the society as a whole.

It will be an even better future; a future that our descendents will embrace and cherish.

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Blog post translated by Sofia Li-Hsin Lee.