Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
3.5 The Sale of Ecological Indulgences
We may be able to make major reductions in our own direct and indirect emissions.
However, in most industrialized countries it will still be relatively diffi cult to move
emission levels into the 'green' zone. Some emissions, such as those related to
public consumption, lie well beyond one's personal sphere of infl uence. Other
reductions can only be achieved through radical changes in lifestyle or relatively
high investment.
People who still want to make further reductions can use the emissions trade to
compensate for their own emissions. This idea is even being practised on a large
scale by states that want to reduce their overly high emissions as part of their com-
mitment at the international level. The modern emissions trade is slightly reminis-
cent of the Medieval church's practice of selling indulgences. However, as the
expression 'sale of indulgences' has negative connotations, the term joint imple-
mentation (JI) was invented.
Whatever is planned on a grand scale at the state level, and has partially already
been implemented, can also be done in the private sphere. For instance, you could
give your neighbour an inexpensive low-energy light bulb as a gift. This bulb could
save up to 300 kg of carbon dioxide emissions over its lifetime. If you gave away
enough low-energy light bulbs, you could conceivably save your total emissions in
another area - at least theoretically. The actual personal emissions continue to
accumulate and would then have to be transferred to the emission results of your
neighbour. In pure calculation terms, the neighbour's emission results would remain
constant. However, if the neighbour's emissions are also too high, he will not
have an easy option for reducing his emissions himself. Furthermore, due to the
savings in electricity costs, the neighbour will end up with more money in his
household budget. If he then invests this money in a couple of litres of petrol for
an extra jaunt in the car, then the whole exercise has ended up being highly
counterproductive.
The situation is different if a low-energy light bulb is given to a school in a devel-
oping country with emissions in the green zone. In this case the gift of the light
bulb will reduce already low emissions even further. Naturally the prerequisite even
here is that the school is not in a position to buy the bulb itself. If the school is
already planning to buy a low-energy bulb as an example of reducing electricity
costs, the bulb given as a gift will not really represent a savings effect. Practised on
a large scale, this type of investment is called Clean Development Mechanism
( CDM ).
The following criteria should be included to ensure the success of climate protection
projects:
■
Carbon dioxide reductions through fi nancing renewable energy plants or
energy - saving activities.
■
Implementation of an additional measure that would not necessarily have
been carried out during the lifetime of a project.
