While most of us are busy with holiday rejoice, two earth conscious events are happening across the world. One, the Energy Globe 2004 Awards winners were unveiled last week in EU (with UN) without much media attention here in US. Two, the UN Climate Conference, the 10th in the annual series, is underway today in Argentina.
The climate conference has gained more attention than the former for quite a few reasons, the most important of which is Russia signing the kyoto treaty as US vehemently opposes it. Simply put, Kyoto treaty legally binds advanced nations to cut carbon dioxide emissions to certain low levels within the next 10 years. Everyone including the 100+ countries that sign the treaty agree that it is an ambitious goal, though achievable. Contrary to what I thought, India is NOT in the treaty yet.
The other event, Energy Globe Awards, apparently is a globally popular environmental award. Innovative initiatives that efficiently use earth’s resources are awarded each year in five categories: earth, energy, water, air and youth. It goes without saying that the dire need for such innovation is in developing nations in Asia, Africa and South America where sparce resources are barraged by exploding population. As so the majority of the submissions for these awards come from those nations. Its heartening to see “Necessasity is the mother of Invention” put into work by some committed souls in developing nations. What is needed now is a flexible economic and social platform for such innovative ideas to reach the global market and global population that is sufferning. With UN behind this awards, there is hope that the effots of those creative minds go past the awards into action.
A special award to SODIS is a simple and affordable solution for every household to improve the microbiological quality of drinking water by using solar radiation to destroy pathogenic microorganisms [that use UV radiation in sun to kill germs]. I am not an expert to qualify this solution, but the fact that it comes from the swiss energy research institute and that it has been tested for past few years for its effectiveness speaks to itself. Read more here at Swiss website to learn how it works.
For the winners in the other categories, check the Earth Globe Awards web site here.
