The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Climate change has become one of the most important public policy issues of the day. But whether you think the climate change we are witnessing is a human-induced problem, or part of the EarthÕs natural cycles, one thing that is certain is that there is merit to rethinking how we use and produce energy. Energy conservation is simply a good idea. And if it goes some distance toward lowering greenhouse gas emissions, then how can this be bad? Across North America, real progress is being made by cities, provinces, and states to lower greenhouse gas emissions and to conserve energy. The most commonly referred to example is California. Among its more popular initiatives is the Low Carbon Fuel Standard. It requires fuel providers to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels sold in the state, which in turn expands the market for alternative fuels. Additionally, CaliforniaÕs Solar Roof Program offers tax credits for the installation of solar energy systems, and based on the energy savings system owners can expect to enjoy, these systems ultimately pay for themselves. Portland, Oregon, also gets high marks. Its Local Action Plan on Global Warming involves implementing energy efficiency targets for buildings and working to meet all growth in electricity demand through renewables. Portland also supports environmentally sustainable renewable energy projects to help meet its carbon emissions targets (such as partnering to develop wind farms) and has set a goal of purchasing 100 per cent of city government electricity from renewable resources by 2010. Back home in Canada, Charlottetown, P.E.I., has been doing some innovative things with its heating systems. The city uses a biomass-fired district energy system to power many of its public buildings, which has both environmental and economic benefits. District energy uses hot water or steam to generate power in one central location and then distributes energy through underground pipes to a web of buildings plugged into the central system. This renders individual building heating systems unnecessary. While itÕs true that the same kinds of solutions will not work for all places, there is a lot of work being done in North America to tackle climate change. And even if we find out someday that the science was wrong and weÕre heading for the next ice age, smart energy choices can still be made that make sense for consumers.
