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Vol. 1 No. 4 – December
2008
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EarthWorks Theme #3: Greening the
Economy
Worth a Look: Book Review
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WORTH A
LOOK:
The Long Thaw
How Humans Are Changing the Next 100,000
Years of Earth’s Climate
Princeton University Press,
2008
This new
book by leading climatologist David Archer is being hailed as the
best brief treatise (196 pages) on climate change ever written for
the general reader. Publishers Weekly says: "Archer has perfectly
pitched answers to the most basic questions about global warming
while providing a sound basis for understanding the complex issues
frequently misrepresented by global warming skeptics… Archer
provides a complete picture of climate change now, in the past, and
what we can expect in years and centuries to come. His models,
though conservative, imply that humans won't survive the
environmental consequences of severe warming over the next thousand
years. While Archer is neither grim nor pessimistic, he is
forthright about what's at stake, and what we must do to avert
catastrophe." Global warming expert Dr. James Hansen of NASA calls
this “the best book about carbon dioxide and climate change that I
have read." Available
now at Amazon.com
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QUOTABLE:
"Just as the fossil fuel
economy of today systemically and comprehensively differs from the
agrarian economy of 1800, the post-fossil fuel economy of 2050 will
profoundly differ from all that we are familiar with now. This
difference will be reflected in urban design and land use patterns,
food systems, manufacturing and distribution networks, the job
market, transportation systems, health care, tourism, and
more."
– Richard
Heinberg
QUOTABLE:
"The trick of living is
to slip on and off the planet with the least fuss you can muster.
I’m not running for sainthood. I just happen to think that in life
we need to be a little like the farmer, who puts back into the soil
what he takes out."
– Paul Newman (d. 9/26/08)
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CONTACT:
EarthWorks
Letter
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Wishing you happiness and peace
this
Holiday Season and
throughout the New Year
from
EarthWorks Expo
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Hydrogen fuel cells could power
tomorrow’s electric cars if hydrogen production becomes
economical.
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Coral
reefs, among the richest habitats on earth, are gravely threatened
by rising ocean acidity.
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Cultures of the fungus
Gliocladium roseum produce hydrocarbons found in diesel
fuel.
(Photo: Gary Strobel, Montana
State Univ.) |
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Thousands of unique species,
dozens of indigenous tribes, the world’s oxygen supply and global
climate are all threatened by Amazon
deforestation.
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Dear Friend,
You are receiving this
newsletter because you have expressed interest in EarthWorks Expo
and in living more sustainably. Please share this information with
others. Thank you! |
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EarthWorks Theme #3:
Greening the Economy
EarthWorks Expo will focus on three major themes in
2009 and beyond. The first, Reducing Our Ecological Footprint, was
discussed in our October
newsletter. The second, Relocalization, was discussed in our November
issue.
 What does it really mean to green the economy?
At the moment, “going green” is a fad, and vast quantities of
pseudo-green hype serve to obscure both the urgency and complexity
of our real challenges. Many corporate players see “green” as simply
the latest marketing angle. But even the most sincere elements of
the green marketplace must struggle to make meaningful improvements
within a deeply broken, eco-destructive economic
system.
Recycling is good and necessary, but not
enough. The same is true for putting up solar panels and wind
turbines, driving a Prius, changing out light bulbs,
weather-stripping the home or xeriscaping the yard. All good, but
not enough. Today’s multi-layered
climate-energy-food-water-extinction-poverty-debt-etc crisis, the
first such planet-scale crisis in human memory, will not be resolved
by post-consumer content, CFLs and hybrid cars.
Meeting this unprecedented crisis
effectively will require a radical redesign of human economic
activity at every level, from personal lifestyle choices to
corporate strategy and government spending. It will require the
concerted efforts of individuals, businesses and governments
worldwide. Some will argue it requires even more: an evolutionary
leap of the human spirit. While such a leap may come, it might not
arrive in time to save the day. Today’s human community, warts and
all, must take a stand for a livable future by greening the economy
here and now, locally, regionally and globally.
There is much discussion but little
consensus as yet on the full breadth and scope of a truly green
economy. Here are several key elements that EarthWorks Expo will
seek to emphasize over time:
• A truly green economy will measure
value more in terms of quality-of-life delivered than quantity of
stuff produced and sold. It will emphasize usefulness and
appropriateness over “coolness,” “newness” or quick-buck
potential.
• A truly green economy will reward
resource conservation, environmental regeneration and conscientious
consumption.
•
A truly green economy will reduce waste of all kinds
to the bare minimum, on the ecological principle that everything
that outlives its present use can be repurposed by some other user.
Today’s landfills will stop growing and become mines for valuable
resources, including energy. Industrial materials and by-products
that are persistently toxic or that cannot be safely recycled or
reused will gradually be purged from human use.
• A
truly green economy will thrive without today's
rampant consumerism, gradually outgrowing such present-day givens as
manipulative advertising, built-in obsolescence, pointless
accumulation and the obsessive demand for “new-new-new” when “the
same” is still perfectly serviceable.
•
A truly green economy will utilize only renewable and
environmentally benign energy sources and will sustainably steward
all essential resources such as forest wood, food fish and
industrial metals.
•
A truly green economy will support full employment at
living wages and will encourage the reduction of gross income
disparities between rich and poor.
Given the present state of human affairs,
the foregoing might seem hopelessly idealistic. Apologists for the
status quo may call it socialistic, or worse. But the good news is,
we already know how to do everything that needs doing; millions of
people are already moving in this direction; and the benefits of a
truly green economy cannot be over-estimated. In addition to
creating vast numbers of meaningful jobs, humankind can,
within a few decades, reverse today’s headlong rush toward global
ecological disaster. Human illnesses associated with unwise
consumption and environmental pollution can diminish enormously,
including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, asthma and many forms of
cancer. Human stress and unhappiness based in zero-sum economic
competition can likewise diminish; human creativity can flourish;
and human community can experience a renaissance.
In the words of Richard
Heinberg, author and Senior Fellow at the Post
Carbon Institute, “In the end, what is accomplished by this
enormous collective effort will be not merely the reversal of a
historic economic and environmental calamity, or even the rebuilding
of the nation’s infrastructure, but the revival of a
civilization—and the creation of a sustainable foundation for the
accomplishments of future generations.”
Further reading:
“What
Will the Green Economy Look Like?” by Adele M. Stan, Media
Consortium; August 23, 2008
Low-Cost Hydrogen From Sewage
Thanks to David Schaller, Sustainable Practices
#371
Researchers in
the College of Engineering at Oregon State University recently
announced a new way to produce hydrogen from several types of
biowaste, including ordinary municipal sewage, at a much lower cost
than traditional “electrolysis” technology, potentially opening the
door to large quantities of affordable hydrogen for fuel cells that
many believe will power automobiles of the future. Studies show that
this approach could reduce the amount of energy needed to produce
hydrogen by as much as 75 percent, compared with standard water
electrolysis. Better yet, the process also cleans the sewage-laden
water, suggesting that treatment plants could be developed that take
in sewage at one end and send clean water and hydrogen out the
other. GO
HERE for the whole story.
Ocean Acidity Rising Faster Than
Expected
Found
in Bloomberg.com, Nov 25, 2008
An 8-year study led by
scientists at the University of Chicago has found that the acidity
of ocean water is increasing more than ten times faster than
predicted by climate change models. The increase in ocean acidity
seems directly correlated with increases in atmospheric carbon
dioxide and poses a dire threat to coral reefs, shellfish and other
species at the base of the ocean food web. Cold-water coral reefs
are already showing signs of damage due to acidity, a possible
precursor to the eventual extinction of reefs worldwide. The
findings also suggest that the world’s oceans may be unable to
absorb as much carbon dioxide in the future as previously assumed,
which could result in acceleration of global warming. GO
HERE for the whole story.
Fungus Makes Components of
Diesel Fuel
Found in
HeraldSun.com.au (Australia), Nov 4, 2008
A reddish fungus discovered
within the bark of a Patagonian rainforest tree has been found to
produce a wide range of hydrocarbons that comprise diesel fuel.
According to biologist Gary Strobel of Montana State University,
"This is the only organism that has ever been shown to produce such
an important combination of fuel substances.” The fungus, known as
G. roseum, can make key components of diesel fuel directly from
cellulose, suggesting the possibility of creating biofuel from a
wide range of non-food plant sources such as wood chips, switchgrass
and straw, and by a simpler process than any yet seen. GO
HERE for the whole story.
Brazil to Reduce Rate of
Amazon Forest Loss by 70%
Found in the Washington
Post, Dec 6, 2008
The government
of Brazil has announced that it will seek to reduce the annual rate
of Amazon deforestation by 70% over the next ten years. According to
Environment Minister Carlos Minc, the goal is to cut forest loss to
1,900 square miles per year by 2017, down from a recent average loss
of 7,300 square miles per year. The move has been hailed by
environmental leaders, who note that the cutting and burning of
rainforests accounts for some 20% of the total annual increase in
atmospheric CO2 that drives global warming. Brazil alone now
accounts for 40% of that figure, making it the fourth largest net
emitter of CO2 behind China, the U.S and Indonesia. "This is the
first time that a major developing country… has stepped up and made
a commitment to bring down its total emissions. Brazil has set the
standard,” said Stephan Schwartzman of the Environmental Defense
Fund. GO
HERE for the whole story.
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