Earth Day 2007, what could we get for 2.2 Trillion Dollars?
Thousands of events are planned around the globe for this weekend's Earth Day celebrations, and millions of people are joining in.
If every household in the United States swapped just one incandescent bulb for a compact fluorescent, it would save enough energy to light 7 million homes for a year, save $660 million in utility bills, and reduce as much greenhouse gas as taking 1 million cars off the road for a year.
We shoul all know the small, everyday things we can do to affect our environment for the better: switching to fluorescent light bulbs, turning down the thermostat in the winter, recycling our garbage. Easy enough. But what about the big stuff? Like, what we could get for, let’s say, $2.2 trillion. Why choose that figure?
Because the Iraq war will cost American taxpayers $2.2 trillion, according to Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz. For those who doubt it is possible to end our addiction to oil and shift to clean, secure renewable
energy, I offer this fact from the ace researchers at the Earth Policy Institute ( www.earthpolicy.org): If we had invested that $2.2 trillion in wind turbines, we would have built enough electrical generating capacity to provide roughly 150 percent of total U.S. energy needs.
That’s right. If we spent that amount of money on renewable energy just once, it would provide more than enough energy to replace all our fossil fuel energy production, including coal, oil and gas, plus nuclear. A one-time investment in renewable energy would pay giant dividends for years to come, including reducing air pollution, curbing the global warming crisis and permanently ending our dependence on foreign oil and natural gas.
According the the Union of Concerned Scientists all of the worlds proven reservers of oil, gas and coal have the same amount of energy as in just 20 days of sunlight.
The choices are up to us, we have the power to change the world, every single one of us makes a difference. If you think you can, you can. The glass is more than half full, and if you really pay attention you'll see it's overflowing.
Happy Earth Day!
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Comments (9)
The 2.2 trillion comparison is right on. The real problem is human insanity. Homo sapiens we are not. Politics is our worst insanity. You don't have to go farther than Ojai to see it. Ojai could be energy self sufficient many times over if it had political will. Morally, spiritually and intellectually, we're still cave dwellers. I'm doing my bit by starting the Red Brown Blue Party to usher in The Lover Government. Love is the energy we need to blow away the smokescreens from our brains.
Comment #1 Posted by: Dennis Leary | April 22, 2007 09:21 AM
The world of mankind is endless folly while the world of nature is endless mystery.
-Yaki
Comment #2 Posted by: anonymous | April 22, 2007 09:49 AM
I don't know if politics is our worst insanity, I think it exposes our insanity as well as some of our insight for a better future. All here by definition, are partisans: We want to make our views known, and we(some maybe not) want to hear from others. I'm new to this post, but I have read some excellent commentary that has to some extent influenced me in my thinking, which is the essence of political dialogue.
This initial post of 2.2 trillion dollars for the war, shows how clearly the dialogue failed us before the war, or better to say, how those who fought the war failed to persuade those with the power to hold back from voting for the war and funding as well. Now the Dialogue is: Will the Democratic Congress stand up for what they believe and defund the war, or piecemeal it to death allowing the killing to go on?
I don't have the faith or confidence in those in Washington/Sacramento/Ojai to look out for us. Without us to sound out when they are messing up the would around us, nothing would ever get fixed.
$2.200,000,000,000.00
That's allot Wind Power and Solar Power: Blood Free energy.
Comment #3 Posted by: Dana and Alyeska-kg6amv@yahoo.com | April 22, 2007 12:34 PM
The Earth will be perfectly OK regardless what temp. it is at or how much ice there is. All YOU are concerned with is your own personal little habitats. Your worried that you may be personally inconvenienced, this is selfishness at its worst.
Who cares whether it is natural or man made… either way the earth is changing.
Those who live to blame this on man do so cause if they are right, in their tiny frightened minds it means they can fix it…. This is the same arrogance that got us to where we are today.
You decided to play(too much) and now you realized there are reactions to you actions. Just sit back and enjoy yourselves it appears that’s all people are good for anyway.
Know in your hearts that the Earth will be here long after we are gone and life (maybe no humans) will flourish as it always has.
Tyler Goines
4-22-07
Comment #4 Posted by: tyler | April 22, 2007 03:50 PM
Tyler,
yours in an intriguing perspective. essentially it seems that every thing you've said is basically true.
but, is it so awful to be concerned for our own survival?
is it so awful to realize the mistakes of the past, and to try to make amends for them...to change our habits so as not to repeat those realized mistakes?
is it so awful to wonder in an active way whether we AND our planet can coexist just a little longer together?
i've begun looking at the issue in this way: if, in the future, we discover that global warming is either not human-made or is beyond the point of our ability to rectify it, how will i feel about my efforts to reduce my personal ecological footprint, to be conscious and conscientious about my consuming, and to live in better harmony with my planet? on the other hand, if we discover that global warming IS human-made and that we COULD have done something about it, how will i feel when i realize that through my inaction i helped further the end of my species?
Comment #5 Posted by: evan | April 22, 2007 07:33 PM
Blood Free Energy, wow that was good, never heard that one before...
I understand that the earth will survive and that we won't, I just want to go out contributing in a positive way, being the change I want to see. I feel empowered. Be the change you want to see.
Comment #6 Posted by: Michael Lind | April 22, 2007 09:48 PM
I think I understand Tyler g's point, and as said, I believe he is basically right. But the very fact, you, Tyler, posted your thoughts is an example of not sitting back, not accepting the inevitable. Some would define your argument as apathy, of which, by your action, you are really not apathetic, just a little frustrated as we all get from time to time.
Personally, I'm glad you brought up your thoughts for us think about.
Without segue:
Blood Free Energy is how I always viewed those alternatives mentioned above. Your post again brings it home, the Imperative that we need to push harder, not to sit back and let others selfish interests get in the way of our right to a safer, more sane, more ecologically sound and fruitful life for today and tomorrow.
Comment #7 Posted by: Dana and Alyeska-kg6amv@yahoo.com | April 23, 2007 06:48 AM
The Big Lie is separation. Tyler's argument holds water only if we are not the world. Remember the song "We Are the World"? I remember it because Dylan was in it. If that is true, we will be around as long as the world, no matter what condition she is in. When the world disappears, where will we be? Back doing what we should have been doing all along? Loving the world and ourselves? Cheer up. Global warming is just a test of our love capacity.
Comment #8 Posted by: Dennis Leary | April 23, 2007 11:35 AM
Hi folks I'm back.... I've read your postings and I feel a little clerification is in order.... I don't own a vehicle. all the lights in my home are "green" I see all these loser (fake) tree huggers come out once a year and celabrate the earth........... at the end of the day they get into their HUM Vs and drive off to preach nonsence they are not truely liveing. The day has had the meaning out of me by these people. mind you I live in NYC ..... maybe that's part of the problem but we'll get into that in another blog. LOL
- Tyler Goines
05 01 07
Comment #9 Posted by: Tyler Goines | April 30, 2007 10:32 PM