Carbon credits instead of carbon taxes

[Although it is recognized by economists that carbon taxes are probably the best approach in terms of providing the right incentives to get consumers to reduce their carbon footprint, they are almost an impossible political sell in North America.

However, some experts have argued that instead of carbon taxes we need carbon rewards or credits. Carbon rewards or credits work the same way as taxes in that you pay a surcharge on carbon emitting products such as gasoline, etc. But rather than having the money fall into the hands of government the money flows back directly into the hands of consumers in terms of credits. Consumers can use these credits to purchase “virtualized” zero carbon products and services. This is where broadband networks can play a critical role, as virtualized products can only be delivered over true broadband networks. In fact I argue the networks themselves should be paid for through carbon credits as in our proposed free fiber to the home business model (http://free-fiber-to-the-home.blogspot.com/)

Ron Dembo of ZeroFootPrint has written a great paper on the concept of carbon credits which was recently covered in the Globe and Mail:

http://www.reportonbusiness.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080908.RREGULY08/TPStory/Business/

To read the entire paper please see http://www.zerofootprint.net/pdf/zerofootprint-green-credits.pdf

The ZeroFootPrint web site also has excellent articles explaining the intricacies of carbon offsets and developing a detailed carbon accounting plan in line with ISO 14064 and related standards – BSA]

A plea to the computing and telecommunications industry - ISO 14064 certification

[We have been hearing a lot lately about the benefits of ICT to reducing Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. Several studies indicate that ICT may reduce GHG emissions by as much as 15%.

At the same time many industries have announced plans to be carbon neutral such as Dell, Cisco, Google etc. Academia and government are also moving in this direction with voluntary and, in some cases, mandatory carbon neutrality targets.

We all believe that optical networks, clouds, virtualization, grids, SOA, broadband etc can play a critical role in achieving our respective carbon neutrality objectives. But in order to use ICT technologies to achieve carbon neutrality an institution must demonstrate that the actual carbon savings are real, verifiable and auditable. Vendor’s claims of increased energy efficiency, or reduced travel, are meaningless and worthless without ISO 14064 compliance.

Compliance with ISO 14064 is necessary to demonstrate genuine carbon reduction and it may also lead to the possibility of earning carbon offset dollars from various trusts like the Pacific Carbon Trust and ultimately maybe even real dollars from large carbon exchanges in Chicago, Montreal etc.

What we desperately need from equipment vendors and telecommunication supplier is actual examples or implementation of how an ICT product or service reduced GHG emissions through the rigorous process of ISO 14064 certification. As pressure for carbon neutrality mounts, vendors and suppliers who can demonstrate solutions with ISO 14064 are the only ones who will win new business.

A good example is the recent Google-GE announcement, for Google to earn carbon offsets in its goal to achieve carbon neutrality. Climate-check (www.climate-check.com) and Green House Gas Services (http://www.ghgs.com/ ) developed the ISO 14064 protocol for this project. – BSA]

The new Industrial Imperative - building a zero carbon economy

[As many long suffering reader of this list well know, I have long argued that moving to a zero carbon economy is one of the great fundamental opportunities of a generation for innovation and economic growth. Reducing our carbon footprint is not all about sacrifice and lowering our standard of living, but much more about new business opportunities, wealth creation and an entire new economic models. That is why I am not a big fan of carbon taxes. Taxes of any kind are an inefficient way of implementing public policy. They will hurt our consumers and reduce our competitiveness against nations who do not implement similar policies. We need to move a zero carbon economy as quickly as possible. That is where the real opportunities lie. Here is some relevant pointers on the topic. Thanks to Kevin Moss and Frank Coluccio on Gordon Cooks list for these pointers --BSA]

http://www.forbes.com/markets/2008/08/08/howard-climate-group-face-markets-cx_je_0808autofacescan01.html

....historians call “basic innovation”: fundamental changes in technology and organization that create new industries, transform existing ones, and, over time, reshape societies. Basic innovations — including electrification, the automobile, commercial air travel, digital computing, and, most recently, the Internet — involve not just a single new technology but a collection of new inventions, practices, distribution networks, businesses and business models, and shifts in personal and organizational thinking that combine to transform the way business is conducted, technology is deployed, and people are engaged.
...
Over the past few years, as the implications of global climate change have become clearer, a new wave of basic innovation has begun. Much of it is occurring in household-name companies.
...
Learning to live outside the industrial age bubble — will require basic innovations of a scale and speed never seen before.
...
As in the original Industrial Revolution, business must play a critical role: Businesspeople can apply their skills in management, entrepreneurship, and economic acumen to galvanize a collective shift.

ICTs, Innovation and the Challenge of Climate Change
http://www.iisd.org/publications/pub.aspx?id=973


Kevin Moss's excellent blog
http://mosske.blogspot.com/


Building a winner in a low carbon economy
http://www.wwf.se/source.php/1183710/identifying_the_1st_billion_tonnes_ict.pdf


SMART 2020: Enabling the low carbon economy in the information age
http://www.theclimategroup.org/index.php/news_and_events/news_and_comment/smart2020pressrelease/


Dell Claims Carbon Neutrality 5 months ahead of schedule
http://greenmonk.net/dell-claims-carbon-neutrality-5-months-ahead-of-schedule/

Big business shows politicians how the planet can be saved
http://www.connectedurbandevelopment.org/blog/?p=13

carbon footprint tool is an Android winner

Thanks to Richard Ackerman for this pointer

http://scilib.typepad.com/science_library_pad/2008/09/carbon-footprin.html