Without a serious shift in government policy and regulation, our individual efforts could be for naught. Plus, we call for a ban on any statement that starts with “If everyone…”
The cliché takes many forms. We’re lead to believe that small changes add up to big impacts. Green media is full of impressive facts and huge statistics. If everyone changed a lightbulb. If everyone unplugged their electronics. If everyone recycled, carpooled, and ate less meat. It would all add up. It would be like taking millions of cars off the road while reducing billions of pound of emissions. Excuse us for asking, but what world are these people living in? Since when did the term “if” mean anything? And how often has “everyone” done (or not done) any one thing?
As we reported with the Together campaign, it’s the latest group to try and convince us that confronting climate change and transitioning to a sustainable economy is easy. Just recycle your water bottles, which you shouldn’t be using in the first place, and everything will be OK. Because if everyone recycled their water bottles…yada, yada, yada.
We’re sorry to break the news, but small changes add up to nothing more than making us all feel a little better about ourselves. We’re just shuffling chairs on the deck of the Titanic. The truth is that our small things in the minority are undone by big things in the majority. That’s the way it will always be in a free society. Real change requires real solutions. If we’re committed to abundant clean energy and a green economy, it’s going to require major shifts in public policy coupled with the power of market forces.
The federal law that bans incandescent light bulbs by mandating more efficient versions, such as CFLs and LEDs, is a fine example.
In addition to raising auto fuel efficiency standards 40 percent, an energy bill passed by Congress yesterday bans the incandescent light bulb by 2014. President Bush signed the 822-page measure into law today after it was sent up Pennsylvania Avenue in a Toyota Prius hybrid vehicle. The House passed the bill by a 314-100 vote after approval by the Senate last week.
Rep. John D. Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the legislation will boost the energy efficiency of “almost every significant product and tool and appliance that we use, from light bulbs to light trucks.”
The phase-out of incandescent light is to begin with the 100-watt bulb in 2012 and end in 2014 with the 40-watt. All light bulbs must use 25 percent to 30 percent less 2014. By 2020, bulbs must be 70 percent more efficient than they are today.
We’ve used CFLs for years. The private sector introduced them and proved their viability and effectiveness in the open market. They’re better and they work. Government responded by passing legislation accordingly. In turn, companies will respond by further innovating because they can be confident in the market. We’ll then see less expensive and more efficient versions that don’t require the use of mercury because the market will demand it. These are the only conditions where “everyone” will make small changes by replacing incandescent bulbs with more efficient alternatives. Because they have no choice but the right one.
Whether it’s auto efficiency, electric vehicles, livestock consumption, low-carbon energy, recycling, green building codes, and all of the other health and environmental issues we face, each calls for this yin-yang relationship between market forces and government policy.
It’s clear that individuals will play a key role through initiating these changes and leading by example. We’re the early adopters in the green economy. But we can’t lose sight of the fact that they’ll only add up when markets and laws work together to support them. The political process, which includes voting and writing to your representatives, is an essential part of the solution. In this sense, small efforts can add up to big impacts.
Just today, we received a notice that former Vice President Al Gore will make a speech on energy this Thursday along these same lines:
Washington, DC – Former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore will outline his bold vision for the future of America’s energy needs at D.A.R. Constitution Hall this Thursday, July 17. The speech will be hosted by the “We” Campaign.
The speech will offer a new way of thinking about our energy production and consumption and a new sense of what is possible when we choose to work together. It will propose a means of tapping America’s innovative skills to build a more secure energy future.
Consumer demand for clean energy will not suffice. We need both a carbon tax and a cap-and-trade system. The former puts a floor on the price of fossil fuels by pricing the external costs into them, while the latter encourages efficiency and innovation. We’ll see what Mr. Gore has to say on the subject.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Christine // Jul 18, 2008 at 9:53 am
Well said. It’s not enough to just worry about how it effects your own comfort level. I think that’s one of the most obstacles to get past when a person decides to take the initiative to branch out and do something about climate change. There is too much of a wait and see attitude until it hits home.
2 The Heroic Ideal of Max Gladwell and Barack Obama, Part III | Max Gladwell // Nov 22, 2008 at 11:26 pm
[...] 2008 Campaign featured a superb quote, in which Obama echoes our critique that greenies tend to be penny wise and pound foolish. When he was preparing for a televised debate during the Democratic primaries, Obama was recorded [...]
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