Sec 4 SIA LA Portfolio
# Self-initiated Reading-and-Reflection (R&R) Exercise
Issue
How America can lead the way to a greener world.
Significant ideas from readings
The U.S. produces nearly a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gases each year. The battle against global warming is a fight for the survival of the country’s coasts and farms, the health of its people and the stability of its economy—and for those of the world at large as well. There are mainly three ways for America, the dominant global player, to lead the way to a greener world.
Firstly, the most feasible method is through a cap-and-trade system that sets ceilings for carbon output and let companies that come in under the limit sell credits to those that do not, allowing them to keep polluting - a little. The effect is that overall carbon levels fall, and there is even money to be made by being greener than the next guy. That drives investment and research dollars into renewable energy and efficiency. It is true that there will be costs associated with any carbon-pricing plan; ending climate change will not be free. Yet no big harm is brought. An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study found that GDP would grow just 1% less from 2010 to 2030 under Lieberman-Warner than without it—and that does not take into account the potential economic benefits. Moreover, in an April study, the International Monetary Fund concluded that smart carbon-cutting policies could contain climate change without seriously harming the global economy.
The next big piece of a global-warming-control plan involves Americans learning to be more efficient with the fossil fuels they continue to burn. Recent research from the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) shows that the U.S. could slash the projected growth in the world’s energy demand by at least half by 2020 just by taking advantage of existing opportunities to cut waste. Furthermore, MGI says annual industry-wide investments of $170 billion per year in improvements like green buildings and more efficient cars could yield an additional $900 billion per year in savings by 2020. Thus America can easily offset rising power prices caused by a carbon cap by priming the economy for a massive “efficiency surge” that will cut waste and improve energy productivity.
The final and most difficult step in the blueprint is the creation of a new energy system, one that does not depend on carbon. In other words, America can pump up research-and-development into renewable energy sources, and support companies bringing new technologies to market. This collaborates with the first step as a firm carbon price will accelerate creativity by making alternatives that much more economical. These renewable energy sources include solar energy, wind power, tidal power, geothermal energy and even nuclear fusion.
Admittedly, Americans would be a little poorer—a sustained battle against climate change will hit wallets hard, absorbing perhaps 2% to 3% of GDP a year for some time, according to energy expert Henry Lee at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, However, looking at the bigger picture, unchecked warming could even end global prosperity. Therefore, it is really time for the dominant global player, America to take actions to lead the way to a greener world.
My opinion on the issue
I agree that the three methods suggested in this article to help America to lead the way to a greener world seem feasible and effective without seriously harming the country’s economy.
However, in my opinion, the main problem here is not whether America can find such similar ways to reduce greenhouse emissions and hence decelerate climate change, but whether the people have the heart to save the environment for next generation. The latest Gallup environmental survey shows that only 37 percent of Americans worry about global warming “a great deal,” a drop from 41 percent last year. This suggests that the majority of American population is either ignorant of the urgency of ending climate change or simply staying mentally detached from the issue. Therefore, I think it is more important to educate the Americans on the responsibilities regarding climate change.
Many of the challenges we face nowadays, from poverty to armed conflict, are linked to the effects of global warming. Finding a solution to climate change can bring benefits in other areas and ultimately improve the living conditions of humans. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy told the U.N. General Assembly, “The effort to improve the conditions of man is the task of all. The earth, the sea and the air are the concern of every nation.” Being the dominant global player, America is the international leader in almost every aspect. In the battle against climate change, America should not lose to other countries as well.
References:
· BRYAN WALSH, April 28, 2008. _Why Green Is the New Red, White And Blue. _TIME VOL. 171, NO. 16. Page 31-42.
