From Climate Ark via Reuters, the Panglossian view: “Americans do not need to pare back their lifestyles to help protect the global environment but may need to use sugar or orange peel to power their energy-guzzling Hummers and Cigarette boats, Florida's governor said Tuesday.
Gov. Charlie Crist, who in July signed executive orders setting new limits on greenhouse gas emissions in his state, said he did not believe the American lifestyle was incompatible with the need to address climate change and reduce fossil fuel consumption. "I don't think they're going to have to change at all. I just think they're going to have to change what they use to power it, like ethanol," said Crist, a Republican who took over Florida's governorship in January from Jeb Bush, the younger brother of President Bush...."
But Climate Ark’s blog thinks otherwise, in an entry by Dr. Glen Barry titled, “American Lifestyle Is the Problem and to Suggest Otherwise is Delusional”: … The American lifestyle is deeply, profoundly unsustainable. The gravest political peril in achieving global ecological sustainability is lack of politically skilled and viable leaders willing to tell the truth regarding the shape and scope of personal and societal change necessary to save the Earth and humankind. Shared sacrifice, living more simply yet fully, and reducing our family size, consumption, emissions and general ecological footprint; is a vital component of addressing climate change. As much of the world seeks to emulate our opulent, self-indulgent ways; the use of the Earth's resources has clearly moved beyond what it can sustainably provide. We could have all the geo-engineering, certified forestry, coal sequestration and nuclear development in the world; and without greater conservation and efficiency we are only buying a bit of time There are not enough orange peels to fuel Hummers and Cigarette boats for any but the super rich. Yet these types of biofuels may well keep the lights on in a new frugal economy in touch with the Earth's needs and constraints. Shame on you Mr. Crist and all duplicitous political and economic powers that falsely and without merit suggest we can burn the Earth and sustain her too. Climate policy can only be effective if based upon ecological truths. And one such truth is that going green DOES mean sacrificing the American lifestyle. And it is deeply wasteful of time and resources necessary to solve global ecological crises to suggest otherwise.
1 comment:
Governor Crist's statement makes my blood boil. It is so uninformed on so many levels. It sounds like he has never read a bit of science about how ethanol actually works, but that is another, lengthy, discussion. Americans will clearly have to change their lifestyles, from the top down. New science will have to be developed in order to provide better consumer options, and people will have to take their blinders off and make simple (or not so simple) lifestyle changes.
America is finally considering a major piece of legislation that will create energy standards which begin to address the energy problem . The bill under consideration would mandate a 15% renewable electricity standard by 2020 as well as 35 mpg standard by 2020. It is imperative that the government start making changes from the top, setting an example for the average consumer. There is a chance that the bill will not be passed in its entirety, therefore I urge you to log onto Energy Bill 2007 and sign the petition to make sure that it does. Perhaps it will also set an example for our governors not to be so backward.
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