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Carbonfund.org Meets with Spanish Climate Change Official to Discuss the Voluntary Carbon Market
Today, Ramsay Huntley and I met with Mr. Iñaki Gili Jauregui, Director of the Catalan Office for Climate Change. Mr. Jauregui is on a three week visit to the United States to learn about Climate Change and Renewable Energy policies; specifically, how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without impeding economic growth.
According to Mr. Jauregui, under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, Spain was limited to a 15% increase in emissions by the first containment period. In that time, his nation has increased its emissions by 55%. Only 40% of carbon dioxide emissions of Spain are regulated by Kyoto, leaving the vast majority completely unregulated. Mr. Jauregui is looking for ways to use the voluntary market to make reductions in this sector, which includes car and air travel.
We talked at length about the work Carbonfund.org has done to make it easy and affordable for individuals and businesses to reduce their carbon footprint. I think the most interesting part of the meeting was how Mr. Jauregui brought to our attention that even in a country which has signed the Kyoto Protocol, the most important element to success is the role individuals play in reducing their own footprint. He mentioned how many citizens think climate change mitigation is the role of the government and big business and continue to consume at the same level as always. The three of us came to a quick realization that regardless of government action, we will never reach the 60-80% in reductions necessary to stem climate change solely through regulation. There will always be a dire need for the voluntary market to provide individuals with a way to reduce their footprint to zero.
As we got up to leave, Mr. James Glick, Mr. Jauregui’s English language officer, mentioned the U.S. Department of State should have offset the air travel involved in the visit. Carbonfund.org has decided to donate Plane ClimateTags™ to offset Mr. Jauregui and Mr. Glick’s travel for the remainder of his stay.
We would like to thank Ms. Thea Richard and the U.S. Department of State International Visitor’s Program for the opportunity to meet with Mr. Jauregui.
Left to Right: Mr. Iñaki Gili Jauregui, Ramsay Huntley, Sean Carney, Ms. Thea Richard
Posted by Sean on 01/25
