The “Green Economy” has many
facets: green energy, clean water, sustainable agriculture, forestry and
fisheries; efficient buildings and industry, transport; and waste stream
reduction. The opportunities for savings through increased efficiencies and
new technologies to reduce our ecological footprint are tremendous.
Chart Represents $74
Trillion In Global Domestic Product, 2010
|
To make the world
“environmentally sustainable” the UN
recently projected that investing $1 – 2.6
trillion every year will be required to make this transition. That sounds like a lot until we look at comparative
numbers:
Global GDP: $74 trillion
U.S. GDP: $15 trillion
Spain GDP: $1.5 trillion
Every year, the U.S. spends approximately
$1.1 trillion on all defense related costs.
It’s not a lack of money –
it is the will and commitment that we have lacked.
We will be investing in all
these industries. We can clear-cut a forest, or harvest and replant. We can
fishnet the ocean or manage the fishery. We can build coal-fired power plants
or wind and solar farms. One method extracts the resources more quickly and
cheaply, the other manages the resource for use today and future generations.
We have to
prioritize our investments to build a greener and cleaner world. The top 11
nations produce 2/3rds of global commerce. What if we get them to lead this transition?
. . . the rest of the world will follow. If you live in the U.S., Japan,
China, India, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Russia or Canada – this is
your task! This is a golden leadership
opportunity. Will you challenge our business leaders and policy-makers
to invest for this greener, cleaner future? |
