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World's efforts to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions
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19:57, June 28, 2007
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The World Wild Fund (WWF) last month issued organization's vision for
2050, drafted by 100 scientists and meteorologists in Geneva,
Switzerland. The report points out that the world has enough sustainable
energy and new technology to satisfy the world's increasing energy
demand, while reducing CO2 emissions by sixty to eighty percent.
In actuality, one can also look at the effective measures taken by
various countries in the world to reduce CO2 emissions.
The US: New York's policy works
The US is the country that releases the most greenhouse gas emissions,
but environmental protection measures in New York are quite effective.
The population in New York accounts for 2.7% of the nation's total
population; but on average, one New York resident releases enough CO2
emissions to account for about one third of the American average. The
reason for this is that public transportation is highly utilized in the
city, and helps reduce the amount of car emissions. New York also
promotes many environmentally friendly activities encouraging residents
to use hybrid fuel vehicles and energy saving vehicle lights. The region
also promotes green and energy-saving building construction that helps
stabilize greenhouse gas emissions. Even so, between 1995 and 2005, New
York's greenhouse gas emissions still grew by 8%. The US government has
also made a lot of economically supportive policies to control greenhouse
gas emissions. The policies include the trade of emission rights among
enterprises and the collection of emissions fees. The trade of emission
rights allows certain industries to establish a certain quantity of
emissions or an emissions rate. However, enterprises within the industry
must commit a specific emissions quota and can exchange their emission
rights with one another. Collecting emissions fee can persuade
enterprises to reduce their emission at a lower cost. As a result, the
cost to reduce emissions becomes lower than the cost of emissions.
The Bush administration has expressed that, in the fall, the US
government will organize a series of meetings to discuss the long-term
global goal for greenhouse gas emissions. On the basis of this long-term
goal, various countries can create their own mid-term CO2 emissions
reduction goals and measures according to their present and future energy
demands.
Great Britain: both government and citizens have taken measures
Britain began their CO2 emissions reduction at transportation. Since
2003, the British government has mandated that between the hours of 7:00
and 18:30 each day, vehicles that go through London city center must pay
a five-pound traffic jam fee. By 2005, this fee increased from five
pounds to eight pounds per day. If the driver fails to pay, he or she
will face a fine of 100 pounds. From 2003 to 2013, the British government
will use this 130 to 150 million pounds of traffic jam fees to develop
various transportation facilities in London including roads, public bus
and rail transport.
The government has also hired a consulting company to conduct a detailed
appraisal and quantified analysis of the energy consumption situation and
energy-saving potential in major industries. They created energy saving
goals according to the analysis, and require various industrial
departments achieve this goal. Since 2001, a climate change tax has been
imposed on British enterprises. The tax causes the enterprises' fuel
costs to increase by ten to fifteen percent. Meanwhile, in order to
encourage the reduction of CO2 emissions, the government also has made
some tax reduction measures. For example, those who sign agreements with
the government and complete its regulated CO2 reduction goal will receive
an 80% reduction in the climate change tax. The government uses the
climate change tax to set up funds for providing loans, auditing and
training services to enterprises.
Japan: Prime Minister Shinzo and his wife are spokespersons.
The Japanese government publishes an advertisement that takes up one
entire page in major newspapers in Japan every Tuesday. In the
advertisement, Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, who wears a T-shirt and a pair
of slippers, is adjusting the brightness of a bulb while his wife
watches. The theme of the advertisement: Everybody reduces one kilogram
of CO2 emissions every day. Abe Shinzo stressed that the short-term goal
of the government is to immediately attract the attention of its citizens
toward the environmental issue and encourage them to do little things
within their immediate environment. He said that, "we want to send a
message to the citizens that the threat will inevitably affect every one.
Environment protection needs our constant attention." Various companies
in Japan also pay attention to environmental protection. All office and
commercial buildings have installed new type of air-circulation system.
Most air conditioners use the heat from electricity generation; iron,
steel factories and other resource recycling processes; and solar energy
as sources of power. Indoor temperature ranges from 20 degrees Celsius in
the winter and 28 degrees Celsius in the summer. In addition, the
Japanese people's awareness of environment protection is also quite
broad. For example, they often take their own bags to supermarket to shop
and buy low-fuel emission cars instead of large luxury vehicles.
Hopefully people can find some inspirations from these examples, and do
more to reduce carbon dioxide emissions for a better future.
By People's Daily Online
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