As the international community faces mounting costs of oil spill clean-ups, unseasonable natural disasters and health issues linked to toxic air and water supplies, the perpetuation of the idea that going green is bad for the economy is perhaps one of the worst examples of doublethink. But increasingly, shifting away from fossil fuels and toward clean, renewable energy systems is pitted against the more immediate gratification of economic gain.
An article in today's Independent quotes New Economics Foundation policy director Andrew Simms decrying this reality: "We have submitted control over our own environmental destiny to a set of economic ideas that parade as if they were unquestionable, natural laws," Simms said.
Simms seems to be hitting on a troubling zeitgeist shift concerning environmental stewardship. While converting to a green economy could spur job creation and ultimately save money, the message that conservation is fiscally irresponsible is increasingly pervasive. Last week's New York Times quotes a spokesman for emerging Republican leader John Boehner attempting to reassure voters Boehner is not concerned with "environmentalists who support job-killing policies."
Organizations like Overbrook grantee Green For All have the facts to refute such statements. Check out their blog post on China's wind energy initiative (quickly on its way to surpassing the United States) here.
Grist, also an Overbrook grantee, referenced stories from the Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal proving fears of catastrophic job loss from a drilling moratorium in the Gulf were unfounded. (Not to mention BP's exploitative use of prison labor to work on clean-up efforts instead of paying newly out-of-work locals a fair wage!)
Last Friday, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund hosted an informational session on the Ecuadorian government's unprecedented new program to "keep the oil in the soil." The Yasuni-ITT initiative will prevent drilling in the incredibly biodiverse Yasuni National Park, if the international community will repay Ecuador half the forgone funds it would have gained from drilling and exporting. Minister of Heritage Maria Fernanda Espinosa explained the $3.6 billion fund will be used to convert Ecuador to a green energy economy. Success of the Yasuni plan has yet to be proven, but its implementation could signify the beginning of a needed backlash to the erroneous "green=poor," or "green=job-loss" mentality. Amazon Watch, yet another Overbrook grantee, has been monitoring the Yasuni initiative from the beginning.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Federal Agencies Submit Sustainability Plans
The White House released the Federal Agency Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans yesterday, with the goal of melding environmental, economic and energy goals to reduce emissions, create jobs and save taxpayers money. This marks the first time ever that federal agencies will submit sustainability goals, but it won't be the last. Following an executive order from October 2009, the agencies will have to set a greenhouse gas emissions target for 2020 and submit a plan for sustainable use of energy, fuel and water, to be updated annually and submitted for review to the Office of Management and Budget.
The Federal Government is the single largest energy consumer in the United States, with about half a million buildings and even more vehicles operating for a federal agency. About 2 million civilians are employed by the government. With luck, the new Sustainability Performance Plans will do more than set goals for government agencies -- the plans could also bring a new consciousness to agency employees. The ubiquity of Federal employees throughout the country could extend this commitment to sustainability to their home lives and behaviors as consumers. Either way, it is heartening to see the Federal Government "walking the walk," so to speak, in support of sustainability.
For a list of all the agencies involved and a look at the individual sustainability plans, click here.
A study just out of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative argues along the same lines, namely that conservation must be incorporated into the daily patterns and thought processes of consumers if any progress is to be made. Conservation must be viewed as a "global public good," according to the study, if biodiversity loss is to be stopped. It must go beyond policy and extend to individual's every-day choices. See the Eurekalert press release here.
The Federal Government is the single largest energy consumer in the United States, with about half a million buildings and even more vehicles operating for a federal agency. About 2 million civilians are employed by the government. With luck, the new Sustainability Performance Plans will do more than set goals for government agencies -- the plans could also bring a new consciousness to agency employees. The ubiquity of Federal employees throughout the country could extend this commitment to sustainability to their home lives and behaviors as consumers. Either way, it is heartening to see the Federal Government "walking the walk," so to speak, in support of sustainability.
For a list of all the agencies involved and a look at the individual sustainability plans, click here.
A study just out of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative argues along the same lines, namely that conservation must be incorporated into the daily patterns and thought processes of consumers if any progress is to be made. Conservation must be viewed as a "global public good," according to the study, if biodiversity loss is to be stopped. It must go beyond policy and extend to individual's every-day choices. See the Eurekalert press release here.
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