Start with the positive: Refocusing our attention on another segment of the economy does not create job loss, but job shifting....in the “green economy” case, when practiced right, from low job density industries to high job density industries.
Another view: Economy, environment can benefit each other
“The best news is that environmental progress is being achieved together with the growing green economy and it’s helping drive Iowa’s and the nation’s economic recovery. Energy-efficient equipment and appliances, wind and solar energy development, cleaner more fuel-efficient cars and modern high-performance rail development are good for job creation, good for economic growth and good for the environment.”
Move to the disappointing: If a business or school had drops in performance equal to our nation's drops in health and well-being, we would close that school or business, no questions asked. Although we cannot “close” the country, we have to find the courage to face reality.
To make America great again, we need to leave the country
“New statistical evidence of this appears almost weekly. When it comes to student performance in mathematics, we are now 25th among the 34 advanced economies, and behind many developing countries as well. In college attendance, our previous preeminence has long faded; we are now 9th in percentage of younger workers with two-year or four-year degrees, and 12th in college graduation rate. In health, we are 37th in infant mortality and equally low in life expectancy. In environmental performance, we are 61st. In the percentage of people below the poverty line, we are 21st. Even when it comes to the "pursuit of happiness," enshrined in our Declaration of Independence as one of the noble goals of government, our citizens are only the 15th most satisfied with their lives.”
Pause at the absurd: It's not only smokers who get insurance subsidies to cover the damage they do to themselves.
Will the Farm bill prop up doomed crops in this extreme climate?
“Tom Philpott at Mother Jones observed that for all Big Ag’s talk of technological solutions to managing extreme weather, research shows that the most promising strategies come from organic practices, which focus on building soil health and resiliency, even in the face of drought.”
Linger in disbelief: I am less intrigued by the obviously partisan title, than by the fact that given the choice between the more conservative and more risky approach, the conservatives chose the riskier one. Sounds like a “bail-out” to me.
Relax Outer Banks: NC state legislature outlaws sea level rise
“Kelly Henderson quotes Tom Thompson, chair of a coastal development group that supported the legislation, as saying that a sea level rise of one meter (this was before the latest study predicting a higher rise) would mean “you could lose millions of dollars in development and 2,000 square miles would be condemned as a flood zone.” Thompson, whose organization obviously has a financial interest in the outcome, argues that it would be unwise to delay investment while a new study is conducted.”
And end on a high note: We take the easy way out when we import energy into our communities and export garbage...if you had to deal personally with the consequences of your waste and energy generation, what different choices would you make?
Brazil's attempt at Distributed Generation: Will net metering work?
“Importantly, the latter possibility would allow net metering program participants to distribute/transfer credits among multiple electric service accounts, for instance, on a multi-tenant commercial property. It would also encourage the development of “community” renewable energy installations, which has been well-accepted in other countries, particularly in the United States and Germany.”
Happy Friday!
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