Analytics

September 09, 2005

Get rich with the Apollo Alliance

David W. Orr writes in the academic journal Conservation Biology (Death and Resurrection: the Future of Environmentalism, subscription required):
[S]mall efforts [may?] lead to large results. In particular, we will have to make a rapid worldwide effort to decarbonize our energy sources. That alone will revolutionize virtually everything else we do, including agriculture, settlement patterns, and transportation. In that effort is the possibility that we might reverse a downward spiral of problems into an upward spiral of solutions. This is not a magic bullet solution but rather a creative rethinking of our situation at right angles to the current conservative-liberal chasm. A rapid but coherent transition toward energy efficiency and renewable energy, for example, would reduce or eliminate oil imports and thereby our dependence on Middle Eastern oil; lessen our military engagement in an unstable region; cut our balance of payments deficit; lower the cost of energy in the economy; create millions of new jobs; minimize oil spills and water pollution; reduce land degradation by strip-mining; reduce air pollution; improve health and lower medical expenses; remove influence of fossil energy companies on U.S. politics; improve the health of our democracy; contribute to stabilizing climate, thereby enabling us to avoid a catastrophe; and improve our reputation and standing in the community of nations.
I agree with Orr that this thinking is indeed "creative." If you want more "talking seriously about jobs, energy policy, and the economy" Orr directs you to the Apollo Alliance. The Apollo Alliance asks for a little of your tax money and promises to deliver this:
The new Apollo project will pay huge dividends: Over 3 million high value added jobs, lower utility bills, increased productivity and competitiveness, cleaner air and water, and improved public health. It will produce substantial energy savings across the economy, and cut our current Persian Gulf oil imports nearly in half.
Reminds me of "get rich" junk mail.

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