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Written by Milan Clarke   
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Monday, 25 January 2010

New Year’s Resolutions
Are you a New Year’s resolution-maker? Well, in 2010, countries across the world are making environmental sustainability resolutions! With the recent world climate conference in Copenhagen setting the precedent for a more environmentally progressive future world, many countries are implementing goals to limit their carbon footprint. Let’s take a look at these global environmental New Year’s resolutions that are starting off 2010 with a bang.

Hong Kong, China

China’s population makes up one-sixth of the world and plays an integral part in the state of our environment. China does not take this powerful role lightly; they are already on their way to becoming the world leaders in nuclear power, wind energy, and photovoltaic solar panels. This year however, China, and more specifically Hong Kong, has even more alternative energy ambitions.

Hong Kong is on its way to using mirrors to capture sunlight that could eventually produce steam and generate electricity.1 What is now referred to as concentrated solar power, the system uses hundreds of thousands of mirrors to convert water into steam. This steam powers a turbine which then creates electricity. Many engineers and financial backers are interested in this type of technology because of its economic potential; concentrated solar power could eventually be cheaper than other types of renewable power.

In 2010, China’s New Year’s resolution has already begun; the country is in the middle of building concentrated solar power plants. However, this new type of renewable energy faces all kinds of criticism. The main problem people see is that much of China is cloudy, smoggy, or simply doesn’t get a lot of sun. The parts that are sunny are in the deep, rural interior provinces of China, while most reside on the coast. Many critique that more practical locations for these plants would be in California or Australia.

Many skeptics say that concentrated solar power is not meant for China, however, private companies are giving everything to get these plants up and running. We can only hope it is as productive as the bankers tell us. Some of the companies backing this technology are eSolar, based out of California, and Penglai Electric, a Chinese power equipment manufacturer. The first plant is set to be in Yulin, a desert-like town set in the middle of China, and many other plants are being built across China.2

Despite criticism, China is very excited about this year’s resolution, and hopefully the environment will be the big winner in 2010!

Washington, D.C., USA

Washington, D.C. has a huge example to set for the rest of the United States. After all, it is the nation’s capital. This year, the nation’s capital is starting a tradition: on January 1st, D.C. started the new year on a greener foot by implementing a mandatory bag tax at every establishment that sells food or alcohol. The tax is a 5 cent charge to the customer for every disposable paper or plastic bag. However, the 5-cent fee is not awarded to the following items: newspapers, produce, hardware, frozen foods, plants, baked goods, and prescriptions.3

The great thing about this tax is that the money accumulated goes to a specific organization, the Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection Fund. It is estimated that the Fund will make about $3.6 in revenue its first year.4 However, the revenue may decline as the years go by when people start to remember to bring reusable bags on their next grocery trip. This scenario will be another win for the environment regardless!

For quite some time prior to this new tax, the saying “Skip the Bag, Save the River” has been flowing on different mediums throughout the city. Additionally, supermarkets like Safeway and Giant have been handing out free reusable bags to make this transition easier for their customers. Grocery bag tax is a win-win situation. If people are charged a bag tax, the money goes to a strong environmental fund. When people become more conscious of their bag usage, they will start bringing reusable bags, ultimately limiting their paper and plastic consumption.

More importantly, this tax instills in people the idea of conscious consumption. The more bags people use, the more money comes out of their own pocket. This idea will hopefully transfer over to other consuming habits. Adrian Fenty, Mayor of D.C. noted the effect this tax will have on the city: “I steadied this law in order to reduce the amount of plastic bags that pollute our rivers. We want the whole world know that you can save the river and save five cents bringing your own shopping bag.”5

The Amazon Rainforest, Brazil

It is 2010 and the start of a new protocol for Brazil and the Amazon. This year, the Brazilian Government is formally establishing the ownership of many millions of acres of the beloved Amazon Rainforest. This will help the government track who exactly is illegally clearing out the forest for lumber or raising cattle.

This is a huge step in the right direction for the Amazon because this precious forest is quickly becoming one big grassy pasture. As of now, the forest is in its worst state of deforestation and government official hope that this law will help maintain a large chunk of what is left of the forest.6 However, finding out who owns what part of the land is a complicated task. There are records for less than 4% of the forest. It is said that 320 million acres are registered under false titles, which is well over the amount of land that exists in the Amazon.7

The problem is, many Brazilians in the area are primarily concerned with what will give them work, it is a habit that occurred in the 1960’s when a military dictatorship required Brazilians to clear out the rainforest in order to have access to the land.8 Up until today, the Amazon has been constantly abused by the corrupt farming. We can only hope that this new law will put Brazil in the right direction in saving one of the most important ecosystems in the World.

2010 is a year for greener resolutions. China, the United States, and Brazil have the power to make huge leaps that we can learn from. This year, you should make your own green resolution to jump start you into a decade that will be full of positive changes that benefit our shared environment.

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1 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/09/business/energy-environment/09solar.html?ref=science.
2 Id.
3 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/05/new-year-new-bag-fee-in-d_n_410344.html.
4 Id.
5 http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/01/washington-dcs-plastic-bag-tax-takes-effect-this-week.php.
6 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/world/americas/27brazil.html?_r=1&ref=earth.




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