Développement durable et efficacité énergétique

"Nous sommes encouragés par les progrès qui ont été réalisés ici", a déclaré à la presse la responsable climat de l'ONU, Christiana Figueres.

"Les gouvernements sont de plus en plus concentrés sur l'ambition qu'il va falloir déployer ces prochaines années", a-t-elle estimé.

L'objectif est de parvenir lors de la conférence de l'ONU prévue à Paris en 2015 à un accord global contraignant tous les pollueurs à réduire leurs émissions de gaz à effet de serre (GES).

"Adopting energy efficiency is widely regarded as one of our best, and most inexpensive, renewable resources.  Reports have been flooding the news with different efficiency projects, generating thousands of dollars in savings that benefit consumers as well as businesses.  For example, Automation World recently reported on energy efficiency operations of 39 different manufacturers given free energy audits by the Delta Institute.  Delta used grant money to audit manufacturers in the Chicago area, and help them improve energy efficiency.  The result was a wealth of data that gives us insight into the true value of saving energy."

"First, we found that 25 percent of buildings represent roughly 75 percent of total potential for energy savings. By itself, this insight may not be too surprising. We know that the variation in how buildings are operated, managed, and prioritized for efficiency improvements can vary dramatically. In addition, the large majority of commercial buildings in a given portfolio are small and micro-businesses with low consumption levels and savings potential. The classic 80/20 rule applied to commercial energy efficiency would naturally point to big buildings representing the high end of that 20 percent. But our data revealed a different answer.

Second, the biggest buildings don’t necessarily equal biggest savings. In fact, bigger savings may lie in mid-sized buildings. Data indicates that as much as 40 percent of portfolio savings opportunity actually is found in mid-size buildings— greater than the 35 percent found in the largest buildings."

"The principles that inform powerful leadership and innovation have not really changed much over the centuries.  As far back as you care to go in history, writers have struggled with and written about the same challenges we face in the 21st century.  Today’s leader of innovation has a great deal in common with the innovation leaders of the past, and there is much to be learned about critical leadership traits by reading outside of “business literature."

"...a quote from the remarkable John Maynard Keynes. He was also thinking about possible futures in his 1933 essay “Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren”. He envisioned the day when the “economic problem” was solved. Struggling though the developed world is at the moment, many have been freed from the immediate wants of the past. He wrote:

For the first time since his creation, man will be faced with his real, his permanent problem – how to use his freedom from pressing economic cares, how to occupy [his] leisure … how to live wisely and agreeably and well. …

“Already, total CO2 emissions at Ford’s global facilities have dropped by 4.65 million metric tons, or 47 percent since 2000. Ford also delivered on its commitment to reduce U.S. facility emissions by 10 percent per vehicle produced between 2002 and 2012, as part of an Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers program. And vehicle tailpipe emissions on a per vehicle basis have dropped 16 percent since 2007 as new vehicles such as Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid have become available.”

"Susceptible d'abriter 90 milliards de barils de pétrole et 30 % du gaz naturel non découvert dans le monde, une manne de plus en plus accessible grâce à la fonte accélérée de la banquise, l'Arctique est au cœur des convoitises des Etats riverains mais aussi de pays comme la Chine."

"L'époque de la recherche de la simple croissance économique est révolue. Nous devons également éliminer l'extrême pauvreté, un objectif réalisable d'ici 2030. Nous devons gérer l'économie de manière à protéger l'environnement, et non à le détruire. Nous devons également encourager une distribution plus équitable de la richesse, plutôt qu'une société clivée entre très riches et très pauvres."

"A new ranking of clean-tech leadership from research firm Clean Edge gives the Golden State a score of 91.7 out of 100. The next highest ranked state, Massachusetts, comes in with a score of 77.8. Clean Edge’s state scores combine 70 indicators, while the metro scores look at 20 factors, including things like green buildings and levels of clean electricity."

"The SCC is used to estimate the damages from carbon emissions (and the benefits from reducing those emissions) for the purposes of regulatory benefit-cost analyses. The central estimate for the SCC is now around $35 per ton of carbon dioxide pollution emitted today.

That's the administration's estimate of the damage -- to human health, ecosystems, and the economy -- caused by every ton of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. The average American emits about 20 tons each year."