[MUSIC] Hello there. My name is Jessika Luth Richter, and in this video, I'm going to talk about why we need to green economies in the first place. I'm currently in one of my favorite, local restaurants here in Lund, having lunch. So you might ask, what does me having lunch have to do with greening the economy? Well, the choices we make in our everyday lives, both conscious and unconscious, and the decisions made by individuals, organizations, and governments, all have an impact on the environment. What about the fish in this sushi, for example? Like me, many people around the world rely on fish for a staple source of protein, and by buying this fish, I'm not only helping out this restaurant, but also helping the fishing industry, which supports the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people around the world. Sounds like a good thing, right? It is, but there are also problems. I'm not the only one eating fish. In total, 130 million tons of fish is consumed each year and many of the species cannot replenish their stocks at this rate. Currently 50% of fish stocks worldwide are nearly fully depleted, and another 30% are on their way towards depletion. If we don't reverse this trend, future generations might not be able to enjoy eating sushi. Throughout this course you will see that there are ways to reverse this trend. We can work on changing consumption patterns and levels. We can implement business strategies and government policies to promote more sustainable consumption. This is all part of greening the economy. To prepare this sushi, the restaurant also needs energy. Hot water, lights, heaters, all of these things require energy. Depending on how this energy is produced, this could result in negative impacts for the environment. According to the International Energy Agency, electricity heating production all account for 41% of total global greenhouse gas emissions in 2010. This is largely due to the use of fossil fuels for heating and energy production. Fossil fuels are problematic, they are finite resources. We will look at ways in this course that individuals, organizations and governments can work with strategies and policies to save energy or to use alternative sources of energy as part of greening the economy. [MUSIC] Now I'm almost finished with my lunch, and this leads me to another problem, the waste we generate in our society, and how we manage it. Even if waste is disposed of properly, which not all of it is, the amount of waste we generate is daunting. Every year over 11 billion tons of solid waste is collected worldwide and some of this waste is actually valuable and can be reused. The Aluminum can for example, making this can for requires mining Bauxite that needs to be refined and smelted, which is an extremely energy consuming process. Recycling this can can save 95% of the energy it would take to produce a new one, and it doesn't end up in a land fill somewhere. Recycling, reusing and ideally reducing waste are key components to greening the economy. In this course, we will explore how it change the way we produce and consume to minimize waste, as well as how we can use waste better as a resource. [MUSIC] Now I've got to get back to work, which leads me to another problem. Our current methods of transportation also rely heavily on fossil fuels. Car use in the world is increasing rapidly and with it, congestion, pollution and green house gasses. In this course we will also look at how it can meet our mobility needs while minimizing our environmental impact. Again, this is all part of greening the economy. [MUSIC] >> So in this segment we have explored how everyday life for many of us is also contributing to some big problems for the environment. So why do we do these things if they have negative impacts on the environment? For one thing, eating food, having access to energy, modern conveniences, and getting where we need to go, are all part of basic economic development. They're also a part of a very natural desire to live better, happier, and more comfortable lives. As the world economy has grown and developed in the last 200 years, we've seen amazing gains in life expectancy and increased standards of living for a lot of people. So economic development in itself is not a bad thing. But this development has been in tension with our environment. For example, the last 200 years, while our economy has grown and developed, so have the greenhouse gas emissions that can contribute to climate change. Ultimately, our economy relies on a healthy environment so it is essential to find ways to continue economic development without such negative effects on the environment. Finding a better balance is the core aim of greening the economy. [MUSIC]
