Casual Observer
12-02-2004, 05:14 PM
I am not sure why you say "ostensibly"; do you think that they have some other (hidden) motivation or agenda? Clearly, if they were doing the analysis honestly--more than the standard "anything nuclear is inherently bad," they would have to come to the conclusion at some point that nuclear options for energy have been sidelined using junk science and hysteria and by ignoring the advances of the last 30 years. If, as an environmental concern (Sierra Club, Greenpeace, et al), you're not proposing real, pragmatic, implementable energy solutions for today based on technologies currently available, you're not substantively contributing to the debate--it's friggin' white noise, happy thoughts and useless pontificating. This is not to say that creation of solar or wind arrays in geographically appropriate regions is not practical--it's certainly viable and feasible from a technical and economic standpoint--but that even these seemingly innocuous and benign methods of power generation create opposition from environmentalists that only serves to portray these groups as increasingly obstructionist, elitist and out of touch. The Nantucket Sound wind array project is a classic example.
Question for Mel, CO and Monty and anyone else who opposes the ideas being expressed here about the trying to help save the enviroment.
Do you happen to drive a SUV or other type of gas guzzler by chance? Not that it's remotely relevant, but it's a VW Jetta, 36MPG. Do I get a gold star sticker? ;)
And it's not about opposition to environmental conservation, it's about acknowledging and reconciling the impact of state-mandated environmental regulations with the realities of domestic and global economic conditions and the technical and infrastructural changes that are required to foster a widespread adoption of new and/or modified means of energy generation and more broadly, general consumption of resources by societies.
I'm not opposed to individual efforts to make the world a more livable place; have at it with your composting toilets. But if we're really serious about changing societal norms about consumption of resources and promoting attitudes and behaviors that are more green, one has to be cognizant of the potential impact of the market on consumer habits and not vilify it but use those market forces to implement the desired changes with cost-effectiveness and consumer-oriented focus. This is why my comment about the corporatization of the organic food industry is appropriate; the market has demanded more organic food and companies have rushed to fill that demand in response--a classic case of individual efforts reaching critical mass that affects the broader society and economy.
Question for Mel, CO and Monty and anyone else who opposes the ideas being expressed here about the trying to help save the enviroment.
Do you happen to drive a SUV or other type of gas guzzler by chance? Not that it's remotely relevant, but it's a VW Jetta, 36MPG. Do I get a gold star sticker? ;)
And it's not about opposition to environmental conservation, it's about acknowledging and reconciling the impact of state-mandated environmental regulations with the realities of domestic and global economic conditions and the technical and infrastructural changes that are required to foster a widespread adoption of new and/or modified means of energy generation and more broadly, general consumption of resources by societies.
I'm not opposed to individual efforts to make the world a more livable place; have at it with your composting toilets. But if we're really serious about changing societal norms about consumption of resources and promoting attitudes and behaviors that are more green, one has to be cognizant of the potential impact of the market on consumer habits and not vilify it but use those market forces to implement the desired changes with cost-effectiveness and consumer-oriented focus. This is why my comment about the corporatization of the organic food industry is appropriate; the market has demanded more organic food and companies have rushed to fill that demand in response--a classic case of individual efforts reaching critical mass that affects the broader society and economy.