Global Warning Politically ugly, a thorn in the foot, a scratchy fingernail on the blackboard. Who wants to hear about global warming, wasted energy, SUV's, and all the mushy science and environmentalism? Maybe it's why dentists are never popular guys. They're doing good, but they cause pain and they're just a little bit weird.
Mark Hertsgaard has a new book out about how the world sees the US. Getting the message to the American voter that something is wrong in our relations with the rest of the world is tough, particularly now, when Bush is triumphal and unilateral and bombastic and the great bulk of the population is going along with it. One reason for that is the failure of the American media (now there's a novel idea) to actually deliver news beyond snipers and Bush trips and Gary Condit and shark attacks. For instance, how many people know that SEC Chairman Pitt resigned in the dead of the night on election day. That was a nicely muzzled story and I'm sure that Karl Rove had something to do with it. Anyway, our compliant media are not telling the story of the world to America very well.

One story line that appeals to my sense of fair play, and probably to many Americans, is the "per capita" issue of energy and pollution. The simple thesis is that nobody should freely pollute the air more than any other person. I think most Americans would buy into that idea in a generic way. When they are told they pollute 45 times more than an Indian or Chinese, however, they might start to reconsider. If, however, it became a national goal to make the United States a "per capita" compliant country, the rest of the world would consider that a supremely honorable thing to do. If, during the course of our compliance, we re-invented US industry, took the global lead in pollution control, developed solar and wind and efficiency technologies that were world class, eliminated our need for foreign oil, and basically ended smog in the US, well, that would be a good thing. Worthy of our engineering talents. Worthy of our effort. When the daily grind ends some day, pause and think about the larger picture of our country.
What are our goals as a nation? We're already the global hyper power, and we outspend everybody else by miles on defense, so we can't really get usefully stronger. We're already in space and could do more, so that's one area where we could set goals. We're spending billions on medical research and we're finding some cures, but there are intellectual limits to how many people we can engage in medical R&D, and we're not even managing basic health care for 40 million of our brothers and sisters. Maybe goals in health care for everyone make sense. Other people may claim that setting goals as a nation is a silly idea. It's not as if the Constitution calls for a federal government with a vision. The states aren't called to this any more than the feds. But somehow, from George Washington's day through Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt and John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, our best leaders have challenged us. Kennedy's lunar landing is probably the best example of a national goal executed by the feds, but actually done by American engineers, workers, and companies on behalf of all of us. Many people are rethinking concepts of service, particularly after 9/11. An attack against our own civilian population stirred millions to volunteer, to donate blood and money and truckloads of goods. The moment passed, however, with no calls for service. The volunteers went home, many not having been allowed to help. Much of the blood was thrown away, too much having been procured. Truckloads of goods were also thrown away, raised unnecessarily or mislocated or invisible in the chaos. A federal structure might have helped to avoid the waste and channeled the volunteer energies more effectively. Don't misunderstand. I think the entire structure of our society was brilliant and shining with the glow that comes from serving others. Rudy Giuliani will never be forgotten for his staunch role as the dust and debris still rained down on his city, and the municipal, state and federal workers were heroic. I wouldn't change and couldn't imagine a more honest and American reaction than what happened in those days after disaster struck. I'm thinking more about the emptiness of so many lives that are now lived with no greater goal than to survive another day, work another week, kill time until retirement. Sure, most people have personal goals i addition to survival. Put a kid through college, lower their golf score, get that place at the beach, or cook the perfect hamburger. It's just that there's room for more in the American spirit. On top of school and work and church and PTA and soccer and TV, there's just room for something bigger than each of us individually.
I think the goal of making the US a "per capita" compliant nation is one of those goals. It needs a catchier title, of course, but the idea that we are greedy isn't one that most Americans would be comfortable with. We see ourselves as generous, and we are. We see ourselves as fair-minded, and we are. What we don't see is the view of our energy consumption and pollution from abroad. The Kyoto Treaty was a modest step towards reduction of our pollution levels, but like many international treaties, it was biased, bureaucratic, and unfair. In light of the current administration's preference for unilateral solutions, how much better would it be for us to declare that by 2020 we will be a "per capita" compliant nation and by 2040 we will be a "zero impact" nation. That's a goal that is far beyond what people are planning today, but which is achievable by a national effort that would stimulate technology and the imagination in the same way the Apollo program did in the sixties.
I issue a challenge to any politician or party who wants to seize the American imagination. Help us become a hyper power not just of might and military prowess, but of fairness and innovation. Take some of the billions of dollars for missile defense and start channeling them towards clean energy and a new approach to our status in the world. The effort to be fair will do more for our security than any possible missile defense could ever do.
posted by Dave on 3:25 PM | 0 comments link

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