The typically interesting Timothy Ferris, author of bestseller The 4-Hour Work Week, has come out with a great post about the return on investment for going green. It gets to the heart of a lot of what we talk about here, but, most importantly, it emphasizes the fact that responding to climate change is above all an opportunity.
The article highlights two major ways to support the planet and make money doing it. The first is changing lifestyle choices in ways that efficiently take care of yourself and the things you own - and save you cash in the process - that also have green benefit. The second is a little more intimidating, but potentially more rewarding - the great financial prospects of investing in green companies at a time when environmentally-conscious business is poised to become the new established model.
If there’s a lesson to be learned here, it’s simple but powerful: assumptions and perceptions are only that. It’s logical to assume that changing your habits or choices to better serve the planet are to some extent going to deprive you of something or limit your ability to enjoy yourself. Yet what keeps being under-emphasized in discussions of climate change is that our responses do not have to be harmful. Going green can mean feeling better about yourself, but it can also mean tangible, practical benefits in reevaluating old habits and ways of business. You could have a chance right now to help the planet and yourself at the same time, if you look at the world as an opportunity, rather than assuming that change will be a net loss.
Great point Eric; as a simple example, a European possesses roughly half the carbon footprint of an American, while enjoying an essentially equal standard of living and quality of life (some may argue they enjoy an even more enviable quality of life).
This may prompt a post on urban planning and population density as they pertain to human energy consumption patterns.