Pragmatism and the Environmentalist
For the past several years environmentalist and scientists have been trying to get our attention. They have been warning of dangerous changes in our world if we continue to disregard the natural balance of things. The danger of global warming has not changed neither have the solutions. Only now are we starting to take the warnings serious. Why has it taken so long for our public conscience to wake up to the message that has been shouted for so long?
Part of the problem has been the messenger. Scientists are notoriously unclear in their jargon and wary of speaking in certainties. This lets people who oppose setting high environmental standards say there is no consensus. Oil companies and car manufacturers all have a financial stake in playing up the uncertainties that are the nature of scientific research. A good scientist is always ready to admit that they’ve been wrong in the past and could be wrong in their analysis now. However, every scientist that isn’t working for the oil industry or the Bush administration agrees that we are reaching a global crisis and humans are in large part to blame. This isn’t a new position for the scientific community. Only now the data and our own experience have gone past speculation to the kind of reality that people in New Orleans and Peek’s Creek are still recovering from.
Beyond the scientist, there is the environmental activist. This group of citizens have been offering a choice of environmentally friendly actions we could all take to help the world at large. Activists often ask too much from people struggling to solve the day to day problem of life in general. This planet is big and our problems are only getting bigger. The results of any action we take now or the action we refuse to take will only have noticeable effect 100 years from now. For people used to living paycheck to paycheck this long-term problem is hard to integrate into their hectic lives. Activist like Al Gore often, in their passion for this planet of ours, paints too broad of a picture of the problem at hand. If the problems are that big, how can we tackle them as individuals? It often sounds hopeless. So why bother trying?
The fact is, setting my thermostat from 75 to 80 degrees won’t stop icebergs from melting by itself. What it will do is save me money when my electric bill comes in. Driving my car with high miles per gallon saves me trips to the pump and leaves dollars in my wallet. In order to make the message connect with most of America, environmentalist must speak in economic terms.
Can we expand our imagination to see a day where each home is powered by solar cells on rooftops? Much is made of the “Big Brother” of government, but what of our dependency to the multinational corporation? What if we could free ourselves from the energy cycle that made CEO’s like Ken Lay so very rich at our expense. Is it possible to change our very idea of what energy is and how we utilize it? Lets change how we function in the world not for the sake of the ice sheets of the artic or the whales in the ocean. Small changes to how we address the problems we face in our day to day lives can save us real money and open up new opportunities for every working American.
Helping the planet because we want to be better citizens is fine and good, but a more practical approach is to find ways of helping ourselves. What would it mean to your family’s budget if the electric bill were something you no longer had to pay? Home wind and solar power technologies are ready to fill the need. All we have to do is have the courage to try it. Automobile technologies are almost ready to take us away from burning hundreds of thousands of gallons a day. Think of the freedom this would give you and your family. Think of what this might mean to national security and the amount of money we now spend securing fossil fuels. When thinking of environmental issues don’t think of the Spotted Owl or the Polar Bear. These far away animals don’t play a part in my day to day life. Think of how much better Christmas will be with extra money in our pockets. There is value in our efforts to save the environment that goes beyond the good deed. A better more prosperous nation may be created if we just think a little more green. Maintaining a climate that gives us white snow at Christmas time may just be the icing on the cake. The damage that has been done to the world can be healed. The first step might just be as simple as turning that thermostat just a little higher.
Part of the problem has been the messenger. Scientists are notoriously unclear in their jargon and wary of speaking in certainties. This lets people who oppose setting high environmental standards say there is no consensus. Oil companies and car manufacturers all have a financial stake in playing up the uncertainties that are the nature of scientific research. A good scientist is always ready to admit that they’ve been wrong in the past and could be wrong in their analysis now. However, every scientist that isn’t working for the oil industry or the Bush administration agrees that we are reaching a global crisis and humans are in large part to blame. This isn’t a new position for the scientific community. Only now the data and our own experience have gone past speculation to the kind of reality that people in New Orleans and Peek’s Creek are still recovering from.
Beyond the scientist, there is the environmental activist. This group of citizens have been offering a choice of environmentally friendly actions we could all take to help the world at large. Activists often ask too much from people struggling to solve the day to day problem of life in general. This planet is big and our problems are only getting bigger. The results of any action we take now or the action we refuse to take will only have noticeable effect 100 years from now. For people used to living paycheck to paycheck this long-term problem is hard to integrate into their hectic lives. Activist like Al Gore often, in their passion for this planet of ours, paints too broad of a picture of the problem at hand. If the problems are that big, how can we tackle them as individuals? It often sounds hopeless. So why bother trying?
The fact is, setting my thermostat from 75 to 80 degrees won’t stop icebergs from melting by itself. What it will do is save me money when my electric bill comes in. Driving my car with high miles per gallon saves me trips to the pump and leaves dollars in my wallet. In order to make the message connect with most of America, environmentalist must speak in economic terms.
Can we expand our imagination to see a day where each home is powered by solar cells on rooftops? Much is made of the “Big Brother” of government, but what of our dependency to the multinational corporation? What if we could free ourselves from the energy cycle that made CEO’s like Ken Lay so very rich at our expense. Is it possible to change our very idea of what energy is and how we utilize it? Lets change how we function in the world not for the sake of the ice sheets of the artic or the whales in the ocean. Small changes to how we address the problems we face in our day to day lives can save us real money and open up new opportunities for every working American.
Helping the planet because we want to be better citizens is fine and good, but a more practical approach is to find ways of helping ourselves. What would it mean to your family’s budget if the electric bill were something you no longer had to pay? Home wind and solar power technologies are ready to fill the need. All we have to do is have the courage to try it. Automobile technologies are almost ready to take us away from burning hundreds of thousands of gallons a day. Think of the freedom this would give you and your family. Think of what this might mean to national security and the amount of money we now spend securing fossil fuels. When thinking of environmental issues don’t think of the Spotted Owl or the Polar Bear. These far away animals don’t play a part in my day to day life. Think of how much better Christmas will be with extra money in our pockets. There is value in our efforts to save the environment that goes beyond the good deed. A better more prosperous nation may be created if we just think a little more green. Maintaining a climate that gives us white snow at Christmas time may just be the icing on the cake. The damage that has been done to the world can be healed. The first step might just be as simple as turning that thermostat just a little higher.
posted by kamuizot at 9:30 PM
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