Could businesses and activists create a greener world by shifting from a mindset that calls for doing less harm to one that calls for doing good? Yes, definitely. As a starting point consider the global position after the Paris Accords. Everybody made big promises to reduce carbon output, but the US did not put it through the US Senate. Several years later all other countries we significantly over their past carbon output, not down--except the US. The US carbon output dropped significantly. And it was nothing that the government planned or led. US natural gas boomed with the implementation of fracking, and it replaced coal for generating electricity. Definitely not what the activists asked for or planned. In fact, many detest fracking technology.
Sustainability is a good concept as it is future oriented. Unfortunately, many thinkers look at sustainability as an equilibrium, and look at resources as renewable or non-renewable. The earth and universe have many systems temporarily in static equilibrium, but the over-all trend is one of underlying change. In the energy sector, the long anticipated break-through is fusion energy. One would expect activiists to embrace the progress in nuclear fusin energy, but their mindset is fixed on a static equilibrium without room for progress.
Could businesses and activists create a greener world by shifting from a mindset that calls for doing less harm to one that calls for doing good? Yes, definitely. As a starting point consider the global position after the Paris Accords. Everybody made big promises to reduce carbon output, but the US did not put it through the US Senate. Several years later all other countries we significantly over their past carbon output, not down--except the US. The US carbon output dropped significantly. And it was nothing that the government planned or led. US natural gas boomed with the implementation of fracking, and it replaced coal for generating electricity. Definitely not what the activists asked for or planned. In fact, many detest fracking technology.
Sustainability is a good concept as it is future oriented. Unfortunately, many thinkers look at sustainability as an equilibrium, and look at resources as renewable or non-renewable. The earth and universe have many systems temporarily in static equilibrium, but the over-all trend is one of underlying change. In the energy sector, the long anticipated break-through is fusion energy. One would expect activiists to embrace the progress in nuclear fusin energy, but their mindset is fixed on a static equilibrium without room for progress.
Thank you, Russ. Great thoughts and much appreciated!!