Cap And Trade Greenness Essay

Introduction

The Cap and Trade story was produced and released in 2009 after the United Nations Climate Conference at the Copenhagen. The story reviews the climate solutions brought forth and discussed at the conference in Copenhagen. The story was produced by a combination of Climate Justice Now, Free Range Studios, and Durban Group for Climate change. It is hosted by Annie Leonard who introduces the Wall Street financiers and the energy traders at the center of the scheme. She shows the “devils in details” in the proposed Cap and Trade proposal; fake offsets as well as free permits to the high polluters and destructions from the necessities to tackle the climate crisis befalling the globe. The story aims at educating the people around the world by illuminating the loop holes in this strategy of cap and trade.

Review

Cap and Trade strategy aims at: first capping the amount of carbon pollutants that can be emitted by people, thereafter give out pollution permits, provide credits where the people reduce, and thereafter allow the purchase of the credits by the pollutants to fill the difference (Carbon Trust 15). Annie depicts a different picture when it comes to its success; one with a less than equal playing ground and with uncertainty. She shows that people have to scrutinize deeper into the flaws in the carbon market for the “devil is in the details.” Annie eludes the fact that the people who cause the problem of emission are the same people who sit in a board room to give strategies as well as solution to the same problem. She says that with the thought that they are providing the solution they are creating more problems (Coniff 18). She depicts the fact that the people behind the cap and trade strategy are people concerned with creating new markets for example the Enran the guys designing energy markets and the Wall Street financiers.
The major devil she does site is on the pollution permits. Annie critics this strategy that it rewards the highest emitters through receiving the highest number of permits for free yet the strategy is counterintuitive. She cites the example of the European Trading system where the strategy failed but enriching the emitters. She shows how the strategy increased carbon emission and the fuel prices in the markets. She says that companies would trade the permits at a higher cost after the reduction of permits has become minimal. She represents this policy as a policy of saving the planet as some people get rich. In my opinion, I would agree with Annie, it is irrational and unrealistic to adopt a policy that had failed in another region. From what has this is a selfish policy in which the chosen few would wish to benefit at the expenses of the climate challenges.
Secondly she identifies “offsets” as the other devil. This is where the carbon market becomes scary. It is very difficult to measure the carbon reduction projects even in their most simple forms (Stavins 6). Therefore Annie cites that; in the potential carbon market of multi-trillion dollar, the opportunity to corrupt the system can be massive. Annie tries to explain how it is unrealistic to reduce carbon emission through offset yet the global economy is driven by the fossil fuel. The world economy is all about fossil fuel, from transport sector to the industries (Nathanial, 16). In agreement with her, I look at it has a strategy that people are being asked to abandon their economic activities yet they are the bigwigs. It cannot happen in real world, this people will work out their way to continue burning the fossil fuel.
The third devil she speaks about is that of destruction. By giving much attention to the Cap and Trade strategy, the globe is being destructed from the real problems as well as solutions. She demonstrates how people are rewarded with permits for instance in Africa for doing their businesses the way the and to whom they want. From this she demonstrates that the strategy aims at rewarding people for polluting the environment instead of curbing environmental pollution. In my opinion, this would increase the amount of emissions other than reduce. People would be scheming that they are reducing carbon emission yet they are destroying the environment (Smithsonian).
Annie suggests that every government in conjunction with its citizens to take the initiative of creating its own strategies to reduce carbon emission before the world is completely destructed. She eludes the fact that the matters of finding solutions to climate challenges should not be left in the hands of the selfish people who hope to enrich themselves. Nevertheless evidence does not show any significant progress from the experiments done (Lavelle 12).Annie calls upon citizens’ action to protect the environment and find solution to climate problems collectively. She says “the world is ours and we need to protect it.” She recommends that, since the global economy is propelled by burning fossil fuel, the strategies should aim at designing and implementing a green economy (Roberts, 12).
In conclusion I agree with the documentaries assertions and recommendations. Indeed, each year the state of the globe deteriorates with emission of carbon. Time wasting in destructive strategies is not worthwhile as at now. All the stakeholders, the governments, and the citizens should join hands to salvage the world from tragic climate changes (Diesendorf, 251). According to the United Nations, at least nine out of ten farmers in Africa will lose their ability to produce food staff in the near future (World Bank). This is a disaster in making since it would lead to a great famine in Africa. This is our world, let’s own it, let’s protect and safeguard it for the generations to come.

Works Cited

Carbon Trust. "Memorandum submitted by The Carbon Trust (ET19). Environmental Audit
Committee - Fourth Report: The role of carbon markets in preventing dangerous climate charge. Session 2009-10" . UK Parliament website. 2009. Print.
Coniff, Richard. "ThePolitical History of Cap and Trade". 2009. Print.
Diesendorf, Mark. Sustainable Energy Solutions for Climate Change. Routledge. 2014 Print.
Lavelle, Marianne. “A US Cap-And-Trade Experiment to End.” National Geography. 2010.
Print.
Nathanial, Gronewold. “Chicago Climate Exchange closes National’s first CAP-And-Trad system but keeps Eye to the Future” New York Times. 2011. Print.
Roberts, David. "What can we learn from polls on cap-and-trade?" grist . 2009. Print
Smithsonian Magazine. Roos, Joseph A.; Barber, Valerie; Brackley, Allen M. Cap and Trade: Offsets and Implications for Alaska. 2011
Stavins Robert. “Linking Tradable Permits Systems: A Key Element of Emerging International Climate Policy Architecture” Ecology Law Quarterly. Retrieved 2010
World Bank (2010). "World Development Report 2010: Development and Climate Change" . The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 2010. Print.