McKinsey & Company: Quick, get out the duct tape!

Wherever you turn, someone, somewhere is talking about climate change. And that’s a good thing. But it’s not a happy conversation. Often, the discussion pivots on how much time we have left to reel in our carbon emissions — and among those who consider climate change a real threat (let’s say the majority of us), the realistic answer to that is, less than a decade.

Give or take a month. (I’m kidding.)

So we’ve got to make some real progress, fast.

Here’s some good news, being highlighted by the WorldWatch Institute today. McKinsey & Company says the U.S. could reduce it’s “non-transportation” energy consumption by 23 percent by 2020.

According to McKinsey’s report Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the U.S. Economy, if the country made an all-out effort it could eliminate $1.2 trillion in energy waste — which would more than cover start-up investment costs. And it would save 1.1 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

Yes, more than a gigaton. Put that in your calculator and check out the zeros.

This savings, McKinsey says, would be the same as removing the entire US fleet of passenger vehicles and light trucks from the road.

The report goes on to note that this energy savings will only be possible if the US overcomes “significant sets of barriers” which are basically everything from inertia to a lack of education to a lack of financing and incentives to inadequate building codes and standards, etc.

Business types, civic leaders and other interested parties may want to read the report, and/or the WorldWatch summary, which notes that some of these transformative new energy actions that could save our planet include simple things — like turning off one’s computer at night and applying duct tape where needed to leaks.

Of course, we all know that solving climate change will be even more challenging, because, in the end, getting all the cars and light trucks off the road might not be enough. But we’d better start listening to radical groups like McKinsey (you get that I’m kidding right?) if we want to get started.

Please Share and Enjoy: