Is Going Green Just Wishful Thinking?

We do all those things that we're told make a difference to our environment. Recycling, conservation, you name it. But does it make a difference, or are we just fooling ourselves? See the excerpt below from The New York Times.

Going Green but Getting Nowhere
By GERNOT WAGNER
Published: September 7, 2011

"YOU reduce, reuse and recycle. You turn down plastic and paper. You avoid out-of-season grapes. You do all the right things.

Good.

Just know that it won’t save the tuna, protect the rain forest or stop global warming. The changes necessary are so large and profound that they are beyond the reach of individual action.

You refuse the plastic bag at the register, believing this one gesture somehow makes a difference, and then carry your takeout meal back to your car for a carbon-emitting trip home.

Say you’re willing to make real sacrifices. Sell your car. Forsake your air-conditioner in the summer, turn down the heat in the winter. Try to become no-impact man. You would, in fact, have no impact on the planet. Americans would continue to emit an average of 20 tons of carbon dioxide a year; Europeans, about 10 tons...

So why bother recycling or riding your bike to the store? Because we all want to do something, anything. Call it “action bias.” But, sadly, individual action does not work. It distracts us from the need for collective action, and it doesn’t add up to enough. Self-interest, not self-sacrifice, is what induces noticeable change. Only the right economic policies will enable us as individuals to be guided by self-interest and still do the right thing for the planet.

To read more, click here.

Image courtesy of mindingthecampus.com.

Comments

[Lebron James Shoes]

You refuse the plastic bag at the register, believing this one gesture somehow makes a difference, and then carry your takeout meal back to your car for a carbon-emitting trip home.

Say you’re willing to make real sacrifices. Sell your car. Forsake your air-conditioner in the summer, turn down the heat in the winter. Try to become no-impact man. You would, in fact, have no impact on the planet. Americans would continue to emit an average of 20 tons of carbon dioxide a year; Europeans, about 10 tons...

So why bother recycling or riding your bike to the store? Because we all want to do something, anything. Call it “action bias.” But, sadly, individual action does not work. It distracts us from the need for collective action, and it doesn’t add up to enough. Self-interest, not self-sacrifice, is what induces noticeable change. Only the right economic policies will enable us as individuals to be guided by self-interest and still do the right thing for the planet.

[Basketball Sneakers]

John Bryson, President Obama’s nominee to lead the U.S. Commerce Department is an excellent choice. Mr. Bryson is a well-seasoned and thoughtful business executive. With America’s global economic influence increasingly challenged, our country needs visionary private sector leadership to advocate for initiatives to expand and encourage private sector job creation, bolster exports, and support both pro-growth and pro-environmental policies. Mr. Bryson understands the complexities of business and the necessity for innovation. Having served as the chairman of Edison International, a utility holding company based in Southern California, John Bryson appreciates the importance of building alliances and cost-effective public policies. He is also an environmentalist, recognizing that clean energy and business sustainability are tremendous assets for America in the form of exports and jobs. He understands the importance of resurrecting the American manufacturing sector and the value of a vibrant “Make It In America” strategy. We look forward to working with Mr. Bryson to help move the economy forward.