Insider: A Call to Action
A look around us, and we know we are in trouble. We can continue down this slippery slope, and the ones to suffer will be our kids and their kids.
This is our call to action. We are bunch of entrepreneurs who decided to address some of the issues we see everyday, and was unable to tackle before.
Situation 1: The 196-nation Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, calls for capping of global warming at 2°c below pre-industrial levels. With our planet out of kilter after only one degree or warming — enough to amplify deadly heatwaves, droughts, and superstorms — the treaty also vows to explore the feasibility of holding the line at 1.5°c. However, the Paris Agreement rests on voluntary carbon-cutting pledges from virtually every country in the world, and global commitments made in Paris to reduce emissions, are still not matched by actions. Adoption of clean energy are often slowed and hampered by deadlock with financing troubles. Solar and wind energy have grown 14 per cent annually since 2012, but still accounts for a tiny fraction — less than 4 per cent — of global energy consumption.
Situation 2: Over 60% of companies today claim that they are doing their part for Mother Earth. However, we all know that being green is a great marketing message. Some companies did something green, perhaps a year ago, but continue to wear the green badge. The honest truth is that standards today are either lax or unverifiable.
Situation 3: Individuals are often penalised for being green. Green products are most of the time more expensive than their counterpart, not because they cost more, but often, they command a premium due to greater demand of it or because more “certification costs” went into the production of it. Bring our own bags/cups campaigns often save cost for the merchant at the expense of convenience of consumers, with the beneficiaries usually being the shareholders. Carbon tax are passed on to consumers because the energy providers are penalised for carbon emission. Somehow, being green seem to compromise on individuals more than onto corporations, be it in terms of convenience or monetarily.
The inherent problem of all:
Corporate greed and political agenda.
It has been a top-down approach, with a middle layer that is often plagued with corporate or political agenda which hampers the deployment of funds to the correct people and areas. There are over US$200 billion of green funds available in the world today, yet adoption of green energy is still at 4%. There are close to no incentive for individuals to do green, besides inconveniencing oneself or incurring additional cost in the bid to be green. Most of us can see that the world is indeed spiralling down dangerously, yet, most can’t help but be passive about it.
