| In her first major speech to Parliament in 2007, | | | | driving hybrid cars), utilization of industrial waste |
| New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark laid down | | | | (e.g., recycling), biomass power generation (burning |
| an ambitious plan of making New Zealand the | | | | farm residue to generate power), reforestation |
| world's first greenhouse gas (GHG)-neutral | | | | and efficient pasture management (e.g., |
| country. | | | | inter-cropping with plants that enhance the carbon |
| Among measures Clark announced include a plan | | | | storage capacity of the soil). |
| that clean-burning biofuels must account for 3.4 | | | | Green Energy Projects Large-scale offsetting |
| percent of fuel sold in the country by 2012 to | | | | activities normally arise in energy or environmental |
| replace gasoline and diesel; that all 47 government | | | | protection projects implemented through the |
| agencies should be using energy efficient | | | | so-called Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) |
| transport, recycled paper and | | | | under the Kyoto Protocol. The mechanism is |
| environmentally-friendly products and buildings; and | | | | essentially trading an institution's excess carbon |
| a campaign to help households save energy and | | | | emissions with another's surplus to lead to a net |
| cut waste. | | | | zero sums. |
| "I believe we can aspire to be carbon neutral in | | | | Under this mechanism, these green projects |
| our economy and way of life," Clark stressed, | | | | generate so-called carbon credits in the form of |
| although no timetable was given to achieve the | | | | Carbon Emission Reduction (CER) certificates |
| goal. | | | | which are duly certified by independent |
| Indeed. And Kiwis can hasten that transformation | | | | accreditation bodies. The certificates can then be |
| by becoming carbon neutral themselves. | | | | traded in a carbon market such as the European |
| Just What Is Becoming Carbon Neutral, and How | | | | Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS), the |
| Does One Go About It? Carbon neutrality refers | | | | Primary CDM market and the Chicago Climate |
| to energy policies and practices that effectively | | | | Exchange (CCE) - the last being the largest |
| result in zero net emissions of greenhouse gases | | | | voluntary carbon market (see below). |
| (GHG) which contribute significantly to global | | | | The generation of CERs makes financing green |
| warming. Any effort to help reduce these gases | | | | energy projects in many developing countries |
| will offset the effects of global warming. | | | | possible which otherwise could not have been |
| Carbon neutrality encompasses a whole program | | | | viable. |
| which includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions, | | | | In 2007, the volume of carbon trading in the |
| researching and utilizing renewable energy | | | | regulated markets totaled 2,918 metric tons of |
| resources and offsetting whatever emissions one | | | | CO2 equivalent ( the other greenhouse gases are |
| cannot avoid producing. At the personal level, | | | | converted to equivalent CO2) with a value of US$ |
| becoming carbon neutral requires a deep | | | | 66.1 billion, up from 1,702 mt CO2eq worth US$ |
| awareness of one's impact to the environment of | | | | 40.1 billion in 2006 (Source: Ecosystem |
| his or her daily activities. | | | | Marketplace, New Carbon Finance, World Bank ). |
| To Become Carbon Neutral, One Can Do It In | | | | Europe and Japan have been the largest buyers |
| Two Major Ways: (1) By reducing one's own | | | | and China the largest seller. |
| carbon emission by becoming energy efficient and | | | | The purchasers range from corporations with |
| deliberately avoiding activities that emit carbon | | | | substantial carbon footprints that are looking to |
| gases and (2) by offsetting whatever is produced | | | | minimize their financial risks ahead of tightening |
| by some carbon-reducing activities somewhere | | | | regulation to green investment funds. |
| around the globe. | | | | The CERs from smaller projects like rural wind |
| The second method, offsetting, can be realized | | | | power and co-generation can be traded in a |
| by avoided emissions and carbon sequestration. | | | | voluntary carbon market which is still small but is |
| One can avoid emitting GHG by using less fossil | | | | growing at a much faster rate than its regulated |
| fuel and switching to renewable sources such as | | | | brethren. In 2007, the global voluntary market |
| geothermal which is locally abundant, for power | | | | was worth US$ 331 million, sharply up from US$ |
| generation. | | | | 96.7 million the previous year. |
| Carbon sequestration involves removing an | | | | Simple Steps To Be Carbon Neutral At Home IN |
| equivalent amount of CO2 from the atmosphere | | | | THE MEANTIME, one can start trekking the path |
| and storing it for a given time. Proposals on | | | | to becoming carbon neutral right inside the home. |
| carbon sequestration range from capturing the | | | | Some of the things one can do include: |
| carbon dioxide emissions of coal power plants | | | | - Choose home appliances such as refrigerators, |
| (such as the Huntly coal power station), | | | | washing machines and dishwashers with high |
| researching on how forests absorb GHG and | | | | efficiency ratings. |
| improving pasture lands management to increase | | | | - Use a bicycle for short distance travel instead of |
| soil uptake of these gases. | | | | the car. It is also good for your health. |
| Examples of carbon offsetting projects are the | | | | - Replace incandescent and halogen lamps with |
| following: Solar power (providing for own power | | | | low energy compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) |
| using solar panels to avoid buying power from the | | | | - Improve the insulation of your home to keep |
| grid), wind power (putting wind turbines instead of | | | | the heat longer during winter. |
| fuel-based generating plants) , hydroelectric | | | | - Recycle materials as much as possible. |
| power, fuel efficiency, fuel substitution (switching | | | | - Don't leave appliances and lights turned on when |
| to a fuel which emits less carbon), co-generation | | | | nobody is using them. |
| (generating electricity and heat from one source), | | | | - Conserve water. |
| efficient lighting (replacing incandescent lamps with | | | | - If appropriate, install your own renewable |
| compact fluorescent lamps), materials switching | | | | energy systems such as solar panels and wind |
| (replacing input materials for industrial processes | | | | turbine in your home. |
| to those with less carbon emission), construction | | | | Going carbon neutral not only lifts one's spirit |
| of green buildings (which are energy and materials | | | | knowing that one is contributing to conserve the |
| efficient), green transport (using LPG as fuel and | | | | environment but also saves real bucks. |