OPINION: Increase in Global Emissions Ought to Serve as Green Clarion Call

Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy released a report indicating that global carbon dioxide levels jumped by the biggest amount on record last year.

According to the report, the world churned out roughly 564 million more tons of CO2 in 2010 than it did in 2009, an increase of about six percent. To put that in perspective, the increase outstrips the individual emissions of all but three countries: China, the United States, and India.

That's worse than even the worst case scenario outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) four years ago.

While the issue is as global as it gets, the solutions cannot be one-sidedly so. Communities around the country and around the world, not just national governments, must grab hold their respective reigns and work to foster policies and economic climates wherein the lowering of greenhouse gases is not only encouraged, but supported.

Here on the Seacoast, the Green Alliance – with whom I’ve had the privilege to work since its 2008 inception – is one organization committed to doing just that. With the stated goal of helping connect local green businesses and sustainability-minded consumers, in three years we’ve managed to bring nearly 100 businesses and nearly 3,000 consumer members on board. In so doing, the GA has helped foster a community dedicated to rendering their lives a little more green; their carbon footprint a little less deep.

And we’re not alone. Groups like Seacoast Local, Clean Air Cool Planet, New Hampshire Coastal Protection Partnership, Seacoast Eat Local, and the Favorite Independent Restaurant Association (FIRA), just to name a few, have likewise forged their own uniquely local niches, with each helping to steer citizens to actions which – while seemingly small – add up to significant contributions to a cleaner, greener world.

Whether or not you believe “climate change” is real and happening, we can all agree on one thing: our state – to say nothing of our country or our planet – would benefit greatly from a recalibration towards a new, 21st century green economy. Currently, more than 90% of New Hampshire’s energy sources are imported, with 100% of our transportation fuels coming from outside our borders. At least 85% of our homes are heated with imported – and CO2-producing – fossil fuels. Meanwhile, coal, natural gas nuclear sources account for a vast majority of our electricity.

When you add it all up, our state spends over $2.6 billion every year to import petroleum products, according to figures provided by the Office of Energy and Planning. That’s roughly the size of our entire state budget, or about $2000 per person, per year. That’s $2.6 billion every year leaving our pocket books, our households, our local economy, our state, our region, our country, every single year – money that will never come back.

Unless, of course, we reverse course. While national environmental policy will certainly be necessary in order to truly begin our collective climb towards sustainability, it cannot – and should not – paint the whole picture. Equipped as they are with the “power of the purse,” citizens everywhere have the power to transform their communities into thriving hubs of local commerce, in the process helping reduce the carbon footprint wrought by an overdependence on national chains and big box stores.

Why is that? It’s simpler than you might think: Big box stores like Walmart source their goods from all over the country – and the world. That means more travel time and, not surprisingly, a larger carbon footprint for every Chilean tomato or toy made in China. Contrastingly, local retailers and grocery stores, while not completely devoid of goods shipped from far away, nonetheless provide much more in the way of local options. That means – you guessed it – a smaller carbon footprint.

What’s more, investing in local or green-oriented businesses doesn’t have to be more expensive. For example, the Green Alliance – for just $35 a year -- offers discounts at a whole host of businesses, from restaurants to yoga studios to retailers to alternative energy purveyors. Just by doing business with these local, green entrepreneurs, you’re not only doing your part to go green (and reduce our carbon footprint); you’re saving green at the same time!

Extrapolate that out, and you’re talking about a seismic shift in our national economy. Not only would we be succeeding in keeping more money in our local economies, but we’d be going a long way in helping reduce our overall carbon footprint.

In so doing, we’ll be channeling a well-known mantra – long since bumper sticker rendered – as simple as is compelling: Think Globally, Act Locally.

To learn more about Green Alliance, visit www.greenalliance.biz