We need consistent, clear reminders that our actions have consequences, and ones that can cause us more harm than the benefit we get from those original actions.
NOAA: Contiguous U.S. warmer and drier than average for November, autumn
"The January-November period was the warmest first 11 months of any year on record for the contiguous United States, and for the entire year, 2012 will most likely surpass the current record (1998, 54.3°F) as the warmest year for the nation."
Although those consequences will largely occur outside the man-made system of finance, our economy will also suffer as regional climates change drastically.
Report shows warming weather may cost winter tourism $2 billion a year
"The report by Protect Our Winters and the Natural Resources Defense Council — dubbed 'Winter Tourism in Peril' and released Thursday as Colorado endures a dry start to the ski season — says the country's $12.2 billion ski-and-snowmobile industry is waning as warmer temperatures melt snow and revenues."
At the very least, we need to divest ourselves of cooperative support for those industries that cause and exacerbate the problems.
Worse than Solyndra
"Since the 1980s, oil shale has been showered with billions in tax credits, price guarantees, and loan guarantees. In addition, public lands have been given to private companies for oil shale research and development without requiring the payment of rents, bonuses, or royalties for facilities producing at less than commercial scale. After decades of federal support, oil shale has yet to be commercially produced. And simply making more federal lands available or limiting regulations on resource extraction is not a solution to our nation’s debt crisis. It could even lead to greater taxpayer liabilities down the road."
To Stop Climate Change, Students Aim at College Portfolios
In recent weeks, college students on dozens of campuses have demanded that university endowment funds rid themselves of coal, oil and gas stocks. The students see it as a tactic that could force climate change, barely discussed in the presidential campaign, back onto the national political agenda.
When we do so, we will find that our choice to rely more on people than energy will create benefits far beyond an improved quality of life.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse says more people in U.S. work in green energy than in petroleum industry
"In a summary of the report, Brookings said, 'the clean economy, which employs some 2.7 million workers, encompasses a significant number of jobs in establishments spread across a diverse group of industries. Though modest in size, the clean economy employs more workers than the fossil fuel industry …' Brookings pegged the number of fossil fuel jobs at 2.4 million."
It may also put a couple of extra dollars in each of our pockets....dollars we can use to support a local business and increase the strength of our communities.
Cyclists and pedestrians can end up spending more each month than drivers
"But for all of the other business types examined, bikers actually out-consumed drivers over the course of a month. True, they often spent less per visit. But cyclists and pedestrians in particular made more frequent trips (by their own estimation) to these restaurants, bars and convenience stores, and those receipts added up. This finding is logical: It’s a lot easier to make an impulse pizza stop if you’re passing by an aromatic restaurant on foot or bike instead of in a passing car at 35 miles an hour. Such frequent visits are part of the walkable culture. Compare European communities – where it's common to hit the bakery, butcher and fish market on the way home from work – to U.S. communities where the weekly drive to Walmart’s supermarket requires an hour of dedicated planning."
Happy Friday!
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