Still getting caught up from state association meetings and an escrow that resulted from a negotiation completed while at the meetings---way too much time in the hotel room on the phone!
I ran across this Huffington Post clip a couple days ago---which is 54 minutes long. It has an excellent panel and it goes fast. Take it in a couple of doses if necessary, but I bet you'll watch it all.
http://youtu.be/ii9b8V6PhlM
It raises some tough questions and makes the point that I am now stressing at every opportunity.
Technology, government and corporate enlightenment MAY provide some significant CO2 emission reductions EVENTUALLY. That's MAY and EVENTUALLY.
What if tipping points representing non linear and unpredictable rapid climate change events arise in the next 4-5 years, if CO2 emission continue along the "business as usual" curve? What can be done in the next 4-5 years to prevent or reduce the odds of that happening?
How many degrees centigrade does it take to set off the non-linear hounds of hell? 2 or 2.5 or 3? If it goes to 4, is there any way out of population crashes and species extinctions? I won't be around by then, but this contest between humans and the Earth has no end and no winner. Our materialistic win/loose perspective has no relevance.
Fortunately, behavior can change NOW. CAN--we're back to ABILITY, MOTIVATION AND TRIGGER among individuals, but it CAN happen. It is also the Earth's best hope.
So the question is this: could most people cut their personal CO2 emissions by 10-15% with little effort, while experiencing little change in lifestyle? I'm betting the answer is YES!!
We need a movement to encourage that sort of behavior change. Many people making a small change can reduce CO2 emissions rapidly. Many people also could grab the attention of politicians and corporate heads.
If the institutions finally get their acts together, that will be a huge help, but what if they don't? They haven't so far---as evidenced in the election campaigning. Energy was a bigger issue in 2008 than it is now and we know much more than we did in 2008---AND NONE of it is good news.
Individuals should do what they can do now. The present prevailing lifestyle of excessive consumption isn't all that alluring, when viewed from the perspective of a future Earth unable to support human populations living quality lives.
BTW you'll not see much about real estate in this blog---I've come to the conclusion that the real estate industry/trade organizations and Climate Change are not ready for each other just yet. There are more effective ways to spend my time than bucking the inertia of a multi million dollar a year lobbying/marketing machine focused on Climate Change denial and protecting antiquated business practices out of step with the best interests of the public.
Individuals in the industry and among the public have the ability to make better decisions about real estate and their future, decisions that are more consistent with sustaining the future of the Earth as a habitat for a rich diversity of living organisms, including humans.
