SunbitsSass Peress – CEO of ICP Solar – Solar Blog

The EU today announced it is thinking of clamping down on car makers for the carbon emissions coming from the cars they make.
Although I commend the continued focus on carbon emission contributions to climate change, I wonder if we would all not be better served by creating market incentives at the consumer level. Say for example that any car producing more than X emissions would cost a consumer X$ in extra charges at purchase time as a “climate tax”. What better way to help sway consumers towards more carbon efficient cars?
Regulating means putting in serious infrastructure to monitor. Using the market to regulate is far more cost efficient and more effective in the long term.
Imagine also the effect on the carbon credit market, where perhaps instead of paying the tax, consumers could buy carbon credits. It has for effect to sensitive individuals where governments and industry are alone today. Shortly thereafter, consumers would rightfully ask for their share of carbon credits for any carbon saving activity recorded. If others can credit for this, why not us?
Sass

I write this entry without the slightest bias towards any american political party. Being canadian, my opinion would hardly have any effect anyways.
I have to take my hat off to John McCain, who is currently running to be the republican president for the United States election scheduled for next year. Just a few short months ago, several pundits were predicting the death of his candidacy. He had gone through various staff changes, was having major budget issues, and looked like a dead duck in the water.
Today he received endorsement from a Democrat, turned Independant, Joe Lieberman. He also received endorsement from New Hamphire’s Governor and several newspapers. What gives?
John didn’t quit because others told him it was dead. He has a conviction in himself and in what he believes is best for the United States. Having recently gone through a similar situation where I could easily have given up, I chose instead, to follow this path of resilience and persistence and patience. Its not about being bullheaded. Its about what you believe in. If you have a dream, let nobody steal it from you until you have exhausted your last breath. If it is something without which you will feel empty, then don’t accept others opinion of its state, make your own judgment about what you can afford to give to your dream.
When people are not inside of your head, they don’t know how something is so much a part of your fabric, that without it, you are not yourself. Had John quit and had I done the same, we’d both wonder for the rest of our lives what would have happened had we not. Live without regrets and you’ll never look back. John morphed according to the needs of the situation. This is another key part of life..change is the only constant and any refusal to change is simply a disconnect with new realities. Every second is a new reality to which we must choose how we react. We never control what happens to us, we only control our reactions. The true test of leadership is exactly what Jack Nicklaus once wrote…“Resolve never to quit, never to give up, no matter what the situation.”
Sass

There was a major CNN special last month which focused on Al Gore’s winning the Nobel prize and his movie An Inconvenient Truth.
During the show, we were shown how there are many skeptics about the claims being made in the movie. Well more news came out, news comes out that the rate of CO2 growth has been 35% faster than predicted just back in 2000!
I am not trying to dispel the valid suspicion with which claims about man-made climate change should be approached. My belief is that education is a continuous thing which we should all involve ourselves in when the cause is so great as the environment which we will leave our children.
Sass