The Power of Green
Posted by J. Emmett Duffy on April 17th, 2007Very interesting essay by Tom Friedman in the New York Times magazine recently: “The power of green“. Friedman captures some of the sense of the remarkably rapid sea change that appears to be underway in attitudes about environmental issues, as well as the strong conviction (which I share) that environmentally progressive approaches will be central to the success or failure of 21st century civilization. One of his main themes resonates with yesterday’s call by top American military brass for action to combat global warming because of the national (and international) security threats it poses. It’s refreshing to see that global warming, and environmental problems generally, are at last moving out of the fringe lefty tree-hugger ghetto of the political spectrum and into the mainstream. I have commented previously about the growing bipartisan embrace of environmental issues, which is a very heartening sign. Perhaps the Generals can make headway with sectors of the the American public that Al Gore hasn’t been able to reach.
If I didn’t know better (I don’t actually), I would swear Tom Friedman’s been reading The Natural Patriot!
Says:
It is encouraging that interest in environmental problems is becoming more mainstream. However, there is still a long way to go. Only this morning our local paper (Avalanche Journal in Lubbock, TX) had a letter to the editor entitled “Do your own research about global warming”. The letter writer claimed that “global warming has become a cottage industry for anti-capatalists, leftists, and pseudo-scientists looking for more taxpayer handouts”. After stating that many scientists have “proven Milankovith correct” the writer concludes that humans have not played a role in causing climate change. The writer finishes by stating “It does not take too much research to find the truth about climate change, but I guess that it is much easier to sit bak andn listen to Al Gore and the liberal media. Before you drink the global warming Kool-Aid, do some research of your own. It is out there, and it is empowering”.
I think that we would all agree with the letter writer that we should all learn more about enviromental issues before drawing conclusions. I would have to disagree with the writer that it is easy to determine the truth about global climate change. I think that one of the major problems we face is that most people don’t have a very good understanding of how scientists work and what science does (this letter was published in a newspaper that contained an artivle last week claiming that human and dinosaur footprints have been found together). Even worse is that many people are suspicious of scientists (especially the hippie tree-hugging environmental scientists).
I hope that the Earth Portal and its related venues will help to fill in the knowlege gap about science and the environment. We need to work to assure that the Earth Portal is appreciated and respected by a broad spectrum of society (we can’t just preach to the choir). I must admit that I am unsure what we can do to change the opinions of those who think and feel like this letter writer.
I also found the Natural Patriot idea to be intriguing. I look forward to learning and thinking more about that.
# April 19th, 2007 9:37 amSays:
Mark,
Yes, unfortunately, one doesn’t have to look far to find such sentiments. They are all over the blogosphere. It’s pretty clear from the letter writer’s opinions that s/he comes from one of the hardened ends of the political spectrum and it’s unlikely that data of any kind will change those opinions. That group is beyond reach, but it appears increasingly that they are in a minority. There are still a lot of thoughtful people in the middle, a majority one hopes, that are receptive to a well-documented scientific argument. That argument is getting easier to make for climate change as a result of the accumulating consensus from the IPCC and elsewhere. I share your belief that the Earth Portal has a potentially very important role to play in getting the expert opinion out in a form digestible to non-scientists.
And thanks for the comments on the Natural Patriot.
# April 20th, 2007 8:11 am