Climate 411

Marc Gunther makes the case to cut carbon by examining the health benefits of a low-carbon lifestyle.

“One argument we haven’t heard nearly as much is that acting to curb the climate crisis will be good for our health. This could be a relevant, personal and powerful message. What’s more, while the climate benefits of burning cleaner fuels, eating less meat or driving less won’t be felt for decades, the health benefits are immediate.”

E2 has an excerpt from President Obama’s email appeal to supporters, asking them to sign a petition in support of energy legislation.

“The House of Representatives has already passed a comprehensive energy and climate bill, and there is currently a plan in the Senate — a plan that was developed with ideas from Democrats and Republicans — that would achieve the same goal,” Obama said. “So I’m asking for your help today to show that the American people are ready for a clean-energy future.”

Denverpost.com – “Five Pillars of a New Sustainability”

By Henry Dubroff, a writer and entrepreneur, and by John J. Huggins, an entrepreneur and investor

“The environmental, economic and personal tragedy unfolding on the Gulf Coast is a clarion call to the country to redefine, expand and embrace the idea of sustainability.”

“There are five pillars of an economy that can grow and sustain itself for decades without bringing us to the edge — or perhaps over the edge — of an ecological catastrophe that was man-made and therefore utterly avoidable. Instead of tweaking a few regulations or adding a chapter or two to compliance manuals and pretending the problem has been fixed, the Deepwater Horizon debacle demands a major overhaul of our energy thinking.”

“Achieving a new balance of energy sources, environmental policies and economic stewardship won’t happen overnight. But “sustainability” broadly defined becomes both a solution and a goal for moving us forward toward a better future for ourselves, our children and our world.”