Just to give more of a visual of the actual impact this has on a global scale, here is a diagram posted in 2011 by The Guardian, created by Guardian graphic artists Mark McCormick and Paul Scruton. What's interesting is that when this was posted, world emissions had gone down for the first time. Also, some of the emerging countries, such as India and China, have been rapidly on the increase. It's likely that countries with lax environmental laws or those emerging/developing countries with "pollution-intensive" industries (such as textiles, chemicals, mining, etc...) would see a consistent increase in their CO2 emissions as well. However, I want to do some research into these areas and try to find some actual figures regarding the growth of these industries and the amount of pollution emissions released in corresponding countries.
If you are like me, you probably don't know too much information behind the science of CO2 emissions or details on just how interconnected and severe the affects of pollution are on our planet. If anyone has any diagrams or articles that are easy to follow regarding this feel free to send them in and I can post them up to share. I'm still new to this "enviro-conscious" world and realize there is so much to learn.
Although things look dreary and negative, there are some minor positives that can always be brought to light. I have a bit of a background when it comes to business topics, and usually there is a belief that industry/the economy and saving the environment consistently conflict with each other. In some ways it's true, depending on the industry and/or country you look at, the environmental regulations at play, and other factors. What's really cool are these new sectors taking stride such as Cleantech (a sector that focuses on renewable energy and environmental subsectors) and Greenbuilding (environmentally efficient structures and processes that are used to develop sustainable buildings and communities).
What has really caught my eye recently though is this idea of green marketing. Take a look at this advertisement by Coca-Cola:
This billboard advertisement actually absorbs "13 pounds of carbon dioxide annually" through fukien tea plants, which are attached to the billboard. More information can be found from Flavourwire's article "Ingenious Green Billboards That Make Advertising Eco-Friendly", where I found this story. It's a small step but it's a step nonetheless. Also, I'm sure many of us would like to see a lot more of these enviro-ads around.
Picture used from: http://www.akcblog.com/2011/07/a-different-kind-of-green/
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