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Global Warning - Jan 28, 2007 - Printable Version
- Toast of the Town
by Robin Buckallew
The 2007 State of the Union address made it official – global warming is real and it is caused by human activities. The pundits have been buzzing about the new, forceful stance that George W. Bush has declared himself committed to. Finally, we’re talking about global warming. The President is talking about global warming. Major kudos have been coming his way for pulling his head out of the sand and emerging, blinking slightly and with a somewhat dazed look on his face, into the blinding sunlight of global reality. Meanwhile, a coalition of giant corporations, including such mega-greats as General Electric and Caterpillar, have signed a document exhorting the president to take immediate and firm action on global warming. They have urged that mandatory emissions caps be set on all commercial and residential buildings promptly in order to deal with this enormous threat. And, according to their website, they actually mean it. They have, they said, been misrepresented as not supporting mandatory caps, but they do, they really, really do.
So, what’s going on? Have our leaders, both political and corporate, finally listened to their constituents and become as globally conscious and responsible as the average American? Have I suddenly broken out the long-saved bottle of champagne and popped the cork for a huge celebration, like some of our other environmental leaders (though by all means not a large majority of them)? Or have we suddenly awoken in a parallel universe, or fallen into some upside-down world of Bizarro?
First, let’s look at the corporate commitment. In recent years, corporations have become increasingly aware that it is a big boost to their reputation to adopt environmentally friendly policies, and the people will love them for it and pat them on the back, which usually translates into increased sales. For this reason, some corporations have adopted environmentally friendly policies. Corporations have also become very aware that it is a big boost to their reputation to adopt environmentally friendly rhetoric, and the people will love them for it and pat them on the back, which usually translates into increased sales. For this reason, many corporations have adopted environmentally friendly rhetoric, without actually changing the way they do business. It is not often that they are punished for this, because the rhetoric usually gets front page attention, while the failure to carry through gets little to no attention at all. When Ford Motor Company openly reneged on a green promise, actually stating that they were going to follow a different sort of green, most of the major news purveyors didn’t really report it at all; it was mostly carried in those magazines that deal exclusively in environmental topics, and have a very small circulation. I still hear everyone talk about the environmental friendliness of Ford. Granted, they do have gardens on their roof, and there is some talk of a hybrid, but they are also the makers (and pushers) of some of the most mammoth, ozone-eating, global-warming vehicles ever devised by the human race.
So, which group does our coalition global-warming activist corporations fall into? Well, let’s look a little more closely at the reality, and we can possibly figure it out. First of all, most of these corporations have already moved most or all of their critical operations overseas, to countries which have almost no environmental regulations, and very spotty enforcement of those they do have. On the off chance that any of these corporations should have competitors still struggling with the burden of being good citizens in the more regulated US economy, the competitors would feel the strain of any mandatory caps, but for the coalition, it would still be business as usual. Not to mention, these corporations would have bought themselves the right to a seat at the bargaining table, where their money and their scientists could have a big say in how stringent any caps were, and could indeed actually hold up the bargaining process for years while they disputed every data point with the scientists put forth by the environmental groups, thereby keeping emissions caps from becoming a reality while getting lots and lots of positive press from their very public commitment to addressing the real threat of global warming. You think I sound like a cynic? You might be right. Can you think of one good reason I should be otherwise? You can’t? No, I can’t either. Corporations have been giving money to environmental groups for at least the last decade, without any substantial change in their way of doing business. This has resulted only in buying them a seat on many of the NGO boards, which then gives them a strong voice in the internal operations of those organizations. One by one, the flyers I get from these organizations become watered down, pale imitations of real environmental solutions. Coincidence? Probably not.
Now, on to the President. Surely he’s sincere. After all, Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity believe him. They believe in his commitment to global warming. In fact, they began criticizing him years ago for caving in to the environmental groups. The Democratic leadership began to give him public accolades, but then began to push inexorably in the direction of the Iraq war. Forget about global warming, they said, we want to talk about Iraq. Granted, Iraq is important, and we need to do something about it. But I have the feeling of déjà vu all over again, with an eerie replay of the early 1970s, as environmental consciousness began to demand a change, and the Republicans seized on it as a convenient way to divert attention from an unpopular war, and the Democrats shunted it aside in favor of war and peace talk. One issue at a time, folks, the American people aren’t bright enough to think and chew gum at the same time. Say what?
All public accolades aside, what did the President really say? He acknowledged the reality of global warming. He called for research into alternative fuels (biofuels, probably so he could win lots of votes for Republicans in the agricultural Midwest that just roundly trounced his party at the midterm elections). Yes, he’s talking about it, and that’s important. But what is more important is what he didn’t say. He didn’t call for any real action. He didn’t call for mandatory emissions caps. He didn’t actually say much at all, if you analyze objectively what he did say. Without mandatory emissions caps, we are still at square one. During his years as governor of Texas, Dubya rejected the idea of any mandatory limits at all. He implemented a broad-reaching program of voluntary environmental initiatives, coupled with very public awards and rewards for companies signing on, and attended dozens of public ceremonies to give certificates and plaques to companies that agreed to voluntarily clean up their act. No enforcement was implemented. No penalties were assessed for companies that began to backslide on their commitment. To be perfectly fair, few companies experienced any backsliding in their implemented policies. To be perfectly fair to the other side, few of the companies receiving such public acclaim actually began any initiatives to backslide from. They received their public recognition, basked in the rosy glow of positive press, and continued doing things the way they had always done them. Of course, there were corporations and companies that actually held true to their commitment, but overall little happened of note to clean up the air in Texas. In fact, following the voluntary corporate initiatives, the air quality in Texas has continued to decline, so that the most polluted city in the nation is now Houston, while Los Angeles has begun to creep toward marginally cleaner air, thanks to the stringent controls implemented by the California Air Resources Board.
OK, so we didn’t get any commitment to actual emissions reductions. At least Dubya is talking about it now. We should be glad of that, no doubt. Maybe. Maybe not. Talk is cheap. Many people have been talking about it for years. For most, this talk has not led to any actual changes in their lifestyles. All we do is talk. Many of my friends agree that, yes, immediate action is needed. Yes, they’re tremendously worried. Yes, SOMEONE needs to do SOMETHING. Then, they get into their climate-controlled SUV and drive (alone in a car that will comfortably hold five people) 50 miles home from work to their climate-controlled house, where they haven’t changed the setting on the thermostat by even one degree in the last decade. They take no serious inventory of their own life, of their own habits, or of their own preferences. They are often, however, very aware of the habits of their neighbors, noticing every aluminum can that goes in the trash instead of the recycle bin, and commenting every time their neighbor gets something new that no doubt trashed a significant portion of the natural world in its construction – even without noticing that they have the exact same item sitting on a shelf in their garage, or in a closet in their den. We all talk about it, and now Dubya’s talking about it. My guess is that Dubya will take exactly the same action about global warming – nothing. Talk, talk, talk.
Voluntary limits on corporate behavior are not going to lead us anywhere. They will have the same effect as voluntary limits on personal behavior – that is to say, none at all. Biofuels will not save the world. The hydrogen car (should it ever burst on the scene in, say, another decade) will not save the world. Your neighbor will not save the world. Only you and I have the capacity to save the world, and we can’t save it sitting around comfortably on our collective asses until the rest of the world leads the way. A young friend of mine told me the other day he’s waiting for someone to be first. He doesn’t want to take action no one else is taking. So, if everyone adopts his attitude, who exactly will be first? I will. I have no fear of being first. I took a personal inventory a decade ago, and have made substantial changes to my lifestyle, none of which have made it worse, and many of which have improved it. Of course, I wasn’t really first. Many people had already taken this step. Many others have taken it since that time. Still, most Americans sit around waiting for someone else to “be first”. Who do they mean? Does it have to be Dubya? Or Oprah? Or maybe Ben and Jen (whoever the hell they are)? Why can’t it be me? Or you? It’s time we all stop following, and begin to lead. Talk will never solve the problem, only action.
This week, sit down and take a personal inventory. Be honest with yourself, no matter how much it hurts. Don’t make excuses, don’t rationalize your choices. The first step has to be honest. Then, from your inventory, make a list of ways you can change your own lifestyle. Can you turn the heater down a couple of degrees, and wear a thicker sweater? Can you combine trips to minimize your driving? Can you begin a car pool? Filling your car to capacity would take 3-4 other cars off the road, reduce the overall emissions for each trip 75-80%, and reduce your gasoline bill down to a mere shadow of its current self. Now, you can make the rationalizations as you decide what ways you are going to make a difference. Still, be honest. Don’t make excuses just to avoid making decisions. Hard decisions face us all. We can make them now, or we can continue to talk. We can do something, or we can continue to talk. We can act ourselves, or we can talk about how long it is going to be before Dubya begins to act. In truth, it doesn’t take an act of Congress. It doesn’t take an act of God. It takes an act of self-will and self-discipline. Not for our neighbor, not for our friends, not for our family, but for us. Each and every one of us. No one can save us from ourselves, except ourselves.
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