by Kym Luttermoser
3. May 2011
The recession has been blamed for many things…job losses, housing losses, stock market losses: all negative impacts. But one interesting side effect of the economic downturn has been a decrease in industrialized nations’ greenhouse gas emissions. An overall decrease of 5.6 percent was reported in industrialized nations’ greenhouse gas emissions in 2009.
In 2009, greenhouse gas emissions fell 6.1 percent in the U.S., 7.2 percent in the European Union and 3.2 percent in Russia. 
During the same time period, the overall domestic product of industrialized nations decreased by 3.4 percent. Pep Canadell, head of the Global Carbon Project noted that the recession coincided with high oil prices, adding yet another hit to energy-intensive sectors.
Mr. Canadell said that “There is a risk of complacency” among industrialized governments regarding the decrease in emissions. He noted that the decrease was not a result of sustainable long-term emission reduction strategies. Indeed, there is already information showing that the emissions numbers are on the rise again. The Global Carbon Project estimated that global carbon dioxide emissions were up 3 percent in 2010, after a fall of 1.3 percent in 2009. While the decrease may have been a temporary one, it was certainly an unanticipated positive outcome during an overall negative time. Hopefully it prompted businesses to look at less expensive and/or more efficient ways of operating…something they can continue in the future.
This week, May 2-6 is Air Quality Awareness Week. Please take a moment to think about your impact on air quality, and how you can lessen your footprint. It could be by doing something as small as carpooling to work or as large as implementing new company-wide system changes. Big or small, every effort helps!
