And Now The Good News

In the post Rio +20 summit gloom it's difficult to remember that there is good news out there. I sense there is gathering momentum on a national and corporate front towards a greener future even as the international process falters.

Below are some examples:

South Korea

 

South Korea is the first country in the World to adopt a 'green' (or sustainable) growth strategy.

This trillion dollar economy is investing 2% of it's GDP annually (approx. $23 billion) into the program and has a stated aim of becoming a global leader amongst low carbon countries.

As with Japan, energy independence is essential to their future economy (They import 96% of their energy currently), so they are investing heavily in renewables. This will obviously reduce their carbon footprint.

They also want to create new drivers for economic growth by developing green, exportable technologies. Priorities are:high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) cells, fuel cells, advanced nuclear power, green cars, smart grid, advanced carbon capture and storage (CCS), water treatment, rechargeable batteries, Light Emitting Diodes (LED), Green IT.

Finally they want to promote a green lifestyle through a green transport infrastructure, as well as sustainable land and water use.

To facilitate this change they have come up with a 5 year plan (2010-2015) and are already making good progress. Korean companies involved in green technologies are expanding, creating tens of thousands of extra jobs. Export income is projected to be $36 billion per annum by 2015.

If S.Korea continues to be successful in this venture, it could be a blue-print that other countries could adopt.

More here.

Saudi Arabia

Last month Saudi surprised everyone by announcing plans to install an enormous 54,000 MW of renewable-generating capacity during the next two decades. That's more than what the U.S. currently have from all their solar and wind combined!

This amounts to about a third of their energy needs, but their main aim is to develop a domestic renewable energy industry.

The sources will be solar PV, Concentrating Solar Power (CSP), wind, geothermal and waste-to-energy.

There has been a lot of speculation about what this all means: Do the Saudis see a time when their oil production goes on the wane? Or maybe they want to cover the scenario where sky-high prices or alternative fuels make demand fall off the proverbial cliff?

Maybe. Or perhaps it's good business sense. Like the Koreans, they see a gigantic new market opening up and they want a piece of it.

More here.

Aruba

On a totally different, but no less important, scale, the tiny Caribbean island of Aruba has teamed up with the Carbon War Room to move the island towards 100% renewable energy.

If they get it right, and they have every chance of doing so with the Carbon War Room on-board, they could be a model for other island nations to follow.

Australia

Shortly before the Rio +20 summit, Australia announced the creation of the world's largest marine reserve. It will cover 3.1 million square km of the oceans surrounding Oz or more than a third of it's coastal waters.

Hopefully, where they lead, the rest of world will follow. Our oceans are essential to the health of the planet.