On Friday President Obama will attend the Copenhagen climate change conference. There will be much anticipation about what commitments the United States and the other participating countries will make. While the big whigs discuss issues like “carbon caps” and “emission targets”, some folks back on the home front will probably feel relieved that they are doing their part – perhaps by driving less or turning to “green” technologies.
Mike Tidwell, however, tells these people in a column published last week to think again. It’s time to “stop going green” he says. No, he’s not a global warming denier. He’s a climate activist fed up with piecemeal contributions made voluntarily by individuals.
Tidwell is right that the sum of the voluntary actions taken by Americans probably make little difference in the overall progress of global warming. The incentives in our society are set up to promote the exploitation of resources. A ton of coal not burned has no financial value. Most polluters pay little of the of the environmental damage they create. All the best intentions by well-meaning people can do little to overcome the power of the marketplace. Yes, Tidwell is right that broader systemic change is needed. This recognition, however, should not lead one to dismiss individual efforts.
Tidwell sees the efforts of individuals as a zero sum game. A concerned citizen, for example, might have time and energy to devote two hours a week to combating global warming. In Tidwell’s world, that person can either choose to buy and install a few compact fluorescent bulbs in his household or he could write or call his elected representative and encourage him to support climate change legislation. Since this well-meaning individual only has two hours to spare, time spent on one activity will mean that the other activity gets sidelined. In such a world, I would agree that the person should send off that letter. But, we all know that the world doesn’t actually work that way.
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