Environmental News and Issue Thread

Originally posted by Scriabin
On the relationship of economic activity to environmental air quality, Book has testified before Congress that ""Nothing cleans the air better or faster than an economic slowdown."

Book says "economic output is directly related to environmental pollution and emissions of greenhouse gases and other aspects of the things the Clean Air Act would have to add
Question for the group: is this a false dilemma, Hobson's choice, Morton's fork?

I hope we can heal the ecomomy and help the environment at the same time. It would have been nice if money would have been spent on battery tech. and electrical infrastructure, instead of banker bonuses. I believe solar electricity will one day be a major power source. If transportation converts first, home heating should follow. I have only been able to find ideas on this and it looks like a lot more R&D will be needed for it to happen. As unemployment rises and benifits are used up, there will be tremendous presure to get the economy rolling with little regard to the environment. Instead of having a multi million man Obama security force, why not employ people to make electric cars, set up the infrastructure, and then hopefully get the economy going strong again. Also, electric kits for existing cars could be made. Battery packs, electric motors, and control ckts could be made for popular autos. If a car has a good chasis and body, why not recycle them. If the economic slowdown is by design, then what ever happens has already been worked out so Hobsons choice there. If the economic problems are from and poor decision making then Mortons fork.

Originally posted by joe beyser
I hope we can heal the ecomomy and help the environment at the same time. It would have been nice if money would have been spent on battery tech. and electrical infrastructure, instead of banker bonuses. I believe solar electricity will one day be a major power source. If transportation converts first, home heating should follow. I have only been able to ...[text shortened]... sons choice there. If the economic problems are from and poor decision making then Mortons fork.

One of the biggest challenges of the 21st century will be finding ways to maintain strong economic growth while at the same time reducing the levels of pollution, fossil fuel use, destruction of sensitive habitats, and other threats to the environment.

One thing we need to do is find a way to incorporate environmental conditions into the GDP. If you "pave paradise to put up a parking lot", you need to account for all the things that "paradise" provided to hunters, campers, hikers, boaters, nature-lovers and others.