This article is part of EcoWorldly’s week-long spotlight on Politicians You Can Believe In. To read more, subscribe to our RSS feed, or view our posts about politics.
Despite their tumultuous economy, Iceland is vying for one of the non-permanent United Nations Security Council seats going up for a vote tomorrow.
Iceland, which generates nearly all of its power from geothermal and hydroelectric sources, has emphasized their valuable experience in the fight against climate change and said they would represent the goals of all small countries with their position on the council.
Not every country has Iceland’s volcanoes, geysers, and hot springs to tap for electricity, but President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson is convinced that all nations possess the natural resources to cut their fossil fuel use and that doing so is vital for global security.
“If the Icelandic model were followed on a global scale by utilizing the variety of clean energy resources available to every country, global warming could be clearly slowed down or even averted,” he said during a presentation at the UN.
While Iceland’s electricity is nearly all clean, most of their cars and boats still rely on oil. To address this issue, the country hosted the Driving Sustainability conference, a two-day event which took place last month. Toyota, Ford, Mitsubishi, and many other companies attended the event and presented their latest concepts for electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles and technologies.
Grimsson is confident that a switch to electric vehicles will not only help the environment, but also help the country’s failing economy.
“The Icelanders who will buy electric cars in the coming years can reload them during the night for a few dollars,” he said at the conference. “Compared to the cost of filling up your cars at the petroleum station today, these will involve enormous savings for ordinary people and the entire nation.”
Grimsson’s belief in a green economy is supported by a recent UN report showing that investment in clean energy will spur job growth. However, UN officials have expressed concern that the faltering global economy will prevent wealthier countries from helping developing nations invest in the clean technology they need.
Photo Credit: Jerroen on Flickr under Creative Commons license.
