Government Efforts For Sustainability

The government can have a big say in what goes with regards to sustainability. A lot of plans have been put in place but are not necessarily as easy to follow as predicted. There are a variety of measurements that governments all over the world are trying to implement to mitigate the effects of climate change with some doing it successfully. I have listed a few below:

1. Climate action plans. These plans outline how governments are going to take steps to take action. Federal funding plays a large role in what sustainable practices can take place as well as the restrictions that may come with them. An example may be that a local government wants to advocate more for renewable energy systems therefore the infrastructure to house these renewable energies must built. This takes planning as well as funding for this infrastructure. Plans need to be well thought out in order for them to be successful and therefore a lot of time and money goes into these. Plans like the one aforementioned show that governments care about the issue of climate change and therefore benefit the environment as they become somewhat of a voice for it.

2. Incentives and tax breaks. To add what was mentioned previously, tax incentives are a great way for companies to bring success to these climate action plans. By proposing solutions that involve saving a company money it is likely they will adopt these solutions which benefits the company as well as the environment. Tax breaks, credits, grants and subsidies are included in those incentives.

3. Carbon taxes. A great way that governments are trying to lower carbon emissions that add to the anthropogenic effects of climate change, is by adding extra taxes to these carbon emissions. This is often successful because large corporations that produce major amounts of carbon dioxide emissions do not want to pay these taxes on top of the other taxes they have to pay and therefore an attempt to decrease their emissions is prevalent in most companies with this tax added.

4. Conservation. One that has been around for quite a while are the conservation efforts made by governments which mainly refer to the preservation of natural areas like national parks and wildlife refuge parks. Wetlands and the oceans are included in these efforts as well. All these natural areas can act as carbon sinks and therefore if taken care of properly can reduce our emissions almost tremendously in a very in natural way.

One must remember that what can be done can be undone, therefore the real challenge with these efforts is to remain consistent and to persevere through challenges faced.