Biggest Industrial Polluters Cause Trillions in Damage

A UN study released earlier this year proves once again what many of us have long known—that big companies are not being held accountable for the environmental damage they cause. Industry tends to earn immunity from judgment based on the fact that they produce jobs, and because penalizing them would supposedly be bad for the economy. But according to this report, the reality is that there are financial ramifications for these companies’ actions, and right now they’re skipping out on the bill.

Meanwhile, another report released more recently argues that the world would benefit by nixing subsidies to the biggest polluters and imposing taxes upon companies that can’t get their act together.

The first survey looked at 3,000 of the biggest companies in the world, including many that are household names and prominently placed on major global stock markets, and found that they were directly responsible for $2.2 trillion dollars’ worth of damage in 2008 alone. To put that figure in terms that are easy to understand, $2.2 trillion is roughly the gross domestic product of the U.K. This is a very big deal.

The damage caused by the 3,000 biggest companies is roughly equal to a third of their profits, which inspires at least marginal sympathy for the notion that these companies can’t afford to make the necessary changes on their own.

In the study, the financial damage caused by industry came in the form of global climate change, air particulates (which contribute to cancer and respiratory disease), and water pollution. The study didn’t even take into account factors that are harder to quantify in financial terms—for example, widespread migration caused by pollution, not to mention long term-effects that haven’t yet been discovered.

To be fair, many of the companies in the top 3,000 have been conscientious about reducing their environmental damage over the last few decades, but even more companies have continued with their pollution going all but unchecked. The biggest culprits tend to be power companies, companies that process waste, and companies that process and produce plastic and metals. In terms of companies that produce purchase-ready consumer goods, drink manufacturers and clothing companies cause the most damage.

Naturally, reports like this tend to raise alarms across all kinds of industry. Many company officials complain that any legislation resulting from these findings is going to significantly cut their profit margins. Of course, it is to be expected that industry officials won’t like these findings, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not true, or that change is not needed.

In fact, industry’s ambivalence to studies such as these makes it all the more apparent that change needs to come from without. Companies that make a profit from messing up the environment aren’t going to change on their own, so we need to have government organizations step in and set limits. Unless we can find the political will to make changes like this, global climate change is only going to get worse.

Renewable Energy - The Power of Wind

The power of wind can be used to provide energy for people across the world, no matter where they live.

You see a sailboat gliding across the ocean pushed by its harmless wafts, you get some relief on a hot day from it's gentle breeze and a pinwheel starts spinning to a youngsters delight from it's puff of air. There are also cases of umbrellas being turned inside out, shingles being blown off rooftops and tornados causing ruins from its strong gusts. By using it to our advantage, we can turn it into a renewable source of energy, which will not cause pollution and will produce a clean energy alternative to harmful fossil fuels.

Wind energy has existed through time. Ancient peoples used it for sailing ships, grinding wheat and pumping water. Today, wind energy is the world's fastest-growing energy source and we are able to use it to produce electricity. This source of energy is a renewable resource that became popular during the oil crisis of the 70's.

Wind energy is captured through the use of wind turbine machines. There are two types that are available. The horizontal axis machine consists of propellers with three blades. It is usually around 20 stories tall and 200 feet wide. The vertical axis machine consists of blades that go from bottom to top. They are 100 feet tall and 50 feet wide. Propellers on wind turbines are large so as to capture a great volume of air. They can be angled or turned to face the wind for maximum effect.

The machines work by using the blades to hold the wind's kinetic energy. The wind turns the blade. The blade is connected to a drive shaft that turns a generator to produce electricity. Wind turbines need wind speeds over 12 miles/hour to be successful. When winds get too high the turbines are able to keep the blades from being damaged and turning too fast through the use of a brake.

Wind power plants consist of about a dozen wind turbines machines and are called wind farms. These farms are owned and operated by businessmen known as Independent Power Producers. The electricity produced on a wind farm is collected and transmitted through long distance high power lines. It is important to locate these farms in ideal areas where the most wind can be captured. This is why you will find them located in high altitudes and open areas such as hilltops, open plains and shorelines.

The advantages to wind power are many. It is a clean form of energy that is non-polluting and does not produce global warming effects. Although large, it allows for land use under the wind turbines for farming. Some disadvantages are it can have a damaging effect on the wild bird population. Also, some people consider them eyesores.

As new technologies emerge, wind power will become a more cost effective source of energy. The government currently issues tax credits for its use and there are green pricing programs available. There is also a renewed concern for the environmental damage that the uses of fossil fuels create. As we search for an alternative to fossil fuels, the answer to our energy problems may just be blowing in the wind.