In 2011 people got increasingly involved with efforts to combat climate change. President Obama listened to demonstrators and postponed the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline pending further investigation. More businesses than ever assumed a leadership role by engaging environmental sustainability and despite setbacks, renewable energy continued to grow. Even COP 17 exceeded expectations with a binding agreement that represents an important step in the right direction.
Last year was also a challenging year for the environment and the global economy. Extreme weather all around the globe made it harder to ignore the catastrophic impacts of a changing climate. Levels of CO2 continued to rise despite all the evidence encouraging us to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels. Oil spills and tar sands development dominated headlines. In the US, political obstructionism reigned supreme as the Republican controlled House made it impossible to even consider legislation related to energy or the environment.
The year to come will no doubt be full of similar challenges, but we can overcome if we persevere and work together. Ignorance is the single greatest obstacle we face. To combat it we need to inform people about the urgency of climate change and equally importantly, we need to educate them about the opportunities afforded by the green economy.
As 2011 comes to an end and we look forward to 2012, we want to thank all of the more than one hundred thousand readers of The Green Market. This year we reached more people than ever and next year we will keep expanding our reach.
We hope you will join us in fighting for a science based understanding of climate change, we hope you will keep striving to adopt greener business practices and we hope you will keep pressing the different levels of government to adopt greener legislation.
We are making a difference and together we can succeed in saving the world from the clutches of runaway climate change. The Green Market will be there in 2012, with its ongoing mission of providing news, information, and resources to help businesses be more sustainable.
Please help to spread the word by following along and sharing our posts, but most of all stay in touch and let us know what you are doing so that together we can build a greener world.
Here is to fighting the good fight for a more sustainable economy in 2012!
© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.
