Tuesday, June 29, 2010

The Story of Cap and Trade




Annie Leonard is back with yet another fact filled enviro film. This time Leonard dissects the climate change solution of ‘Cap & Trade’. To be honest I have never truly understood the carbon trading scheme, but as Leonard protests “the future of our planet is at stake, so we’ve got to take the time to understand what’s going on!”

As the system unfolds, so many issues become apparent. Polluters are almost being rewarded for polluting. How can something with so much riding on it only work in theory? “The devils in the details, and there are a lot of details”. The corporations that claim to be helping the problem are actually profiting from it. With so much wide spread evidence on the health of our planet why is it that the corporation has more power than the government? And how do the key polluters keep buying their way out of trouble? Take the current BP oil crisis. How many more days will oil spill into our oceans without action?

“Save the planet, get rich. What’s not to like?”

The messages I took away from ‘Cap & Trade’ would be to consider the impact and sustainability of all products, whether designing or purchasing. It is important as design students we learn to design responsible products that benefit everyone not just the cultural elite.


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