This
past year saw many changes and newsworthy stories in regards to
environmentalism and the green movement. Sustainability was front and centre as
new environmental initiatives were announced, however, the green aspects of
2012 were most defined by the environmental stories that made the news. The Keystone pipeline dominated
the airwaves in North America and throughout the globe, while environmentalism
was a large part of other events such as the London Summer Olympics and the largest Earth Day celebrations yet. The United
States saw their year culminate in their national and presidential elections
where the environment was a hot topic, and
Canada had its own environmental showdown as provinces pulled away from
the federal government to pursue their own options as Canada decided on its own
future. There are many noteworthy
stories and events that could make up our list, however, here are a few that
caught our attention:
The
US State Department announced that it would
not approve the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline between Canada and the
United States. TransCanada, the
entity applying for the deal, was told that they can re-apply once they submit
a new route that ensures protection of vulnerable ecosystems. TransCanada has begun to re-examine
their proposal and plans to re-apply by 2014.
The
Government of Ontario
released the now infamous Drummond Report, a 668 report outlining
recommendations to reduce Ontario’s growing debt. Several key recommendations
involved environmental legislation, including the increase of environmental
protection stewardship, and a more accurate system to value environmental
protection projects. It also advocated for the creation of a national transit
strategy where all provinces and territories actively work together towards
reducing greenhouse gas emissions in vehicles.
Swedish
car manufacturer, Volvo, introduced the
first ever hands free driving technology. This was hailed as the first step in
true road train technology, where roads are able to function as trains for
individual travelling cars, removing the need for fossil fuels and lessening
the occurrence of accidents due to long distance travel.
The
TEEB Conference 2012 –
Mainstreaming the Economics of Nature: Challenges for Science and
Implementation conference happened in Leipzig, Germany. More than 250
scientists and economic experts from all over the world met to discuss the
importance of biodiversity and its economic value. The main focus of the
conference was on how to get international environmental agreements implemented
at the national level.
Earth Day, held on April 22, was special
this year. The celebrations were used to mark the increases in awareness and
the pieces of legislation passed since the first one in 1970, including the
Clean Air Act. However, this party also occurred as a precarious time as
Congress debated whether the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should all
be dismantled.
Nike
International created a new way to choose factories to conduct business
with. The Source & Manufacturing
Sustainability Index is now used to measure labour and environmental
sustainability standards in choosing where they will have their goods manufactured.
Nike
also announced a partnership with Dutch company DyeCoo
Textile Systems, who have created the first commercially viable waterless
textile dyeing machines. They use recycled carbon dioxide instead of water,
thereby greatly reducing the amount of pollution placed into waterways.
The
EPA had its mandate upheld by the US
Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia over how they regulate
greenhouse gas emissions. The judicial vote was unanimously in favour of the EPA regulating all emissions that if finds
harmful as per the Clean Air Act. This included vehicles and all stationary
sources, such as buildings.
UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon announced that three
of the 2015 Millennium Development
Goals have been achieved three years ahead of schedule; those in regards to
poverty, slums, and water. The levels of
drinkable water have increased drastically due to environmental initiatives to
clean up required water sources. The portion of people with access to clean
water has now risen to 89%, up from 76% in 1990.
The
2012 London Olympic Summer Games
brought athletes, dignitaries, and supporters from all over the world. The Games
were hailed as the “greenest ever” due to sustainability efforts in place. The Olympic
Games required 35 million kilowatt hours of energy to run, the same amount of
electricity required to power a city of 150,000 for a year. Energy requirements
were able to be reduced by 20% and the Games achieved their goal of zero waste
to landfills and over 70% of waste being re-used, recycled, or composted.
Arctic
sea ice shrank to its lowest levels ever recorded. At the time of recording, it
was not even finished as it shrunk an additional 500,000 sq. km beyond this
point. Scientists have begun to push even more adamantly for climate control
conditions as there were no erroneous weather patterns or unusual conditions
that could explain the drastic shift other than unprecedented climate change.
The
United Nations Biodiversity Conference and
its member states pledged to double the amount of resources available for
biodiversity protection by 2015. Among areas queued for special protection are
the Saragasso Sea, the Tonga archipelago, and certain coral sites off the Brazilian
coast. The conference also created new measures for how to gauge levels of
biodiversity protection. India, the country with the second highest population
and many areas in need of biodiversity protection, was targeted to lead the
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity for the next two years.
The
United States Presidential election occurred with Barack Obama winning a second term. His first term included executive
orders that increased fuel efficiency standards for vehicles and regulatory
initiatives to control air pollution from coal power plants. The second term
looks to be more of the same. Obama’s victory speech stated a goal to be “free
from foreign oil,” a long-standing desire of both political parties. To make
this desire closer to a reality, President Obama has outlined a plan that
includes increasing shale gas output and tax credits for alternative energy
projects. Other initiatives that have been discussed are a carbon tax and
ending subsidies corporations that extract, refine, and distribute fossil fuels;
however, these two may be difficult as the Republican controlled Congress has
spoken out against them.
Canada became the first nation to
formally pull out of the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol was
originally passed in 1997 and asked for developed nations to reduce their
carbon emissions by 5% lower than 1990 levels, which was to occur by 2012.
Canada’s withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol occurred
as recent polls showed Canadians in favour of British Columbia’s new carbon tax
and with the majority stating that the Canadian government should be showing
leadership on environmental issues.
This
past year can be marked as one of transition; the majority of people are seeing
a world worth protecting and finally, governments are slowly coming to the same
realization. While some governments are more proactive than others, the shift
has been noticeable, from small municipalities right up to the United Nations.
It
is important to note that not all of these stories were able drastic change or
new technologies that will change the world; they are about perceptions, how
people are changing the way they think. The swell of people from around the
world who are demanding global action for a better and greener future and
beginning are showing their influence and governments are beginning to realize
the economic value of environmentalism. We hope that you continue to join us in
2013 to see what the New Year brings for environmental action, green
technology, and global awareness!
