Editor's Note: On the last day of the year, we introduce a new writer -- Alex Krogh-Grabbe. Alex writes out of Connecticut, where he's been active in helping organise Focus the Nation and writing on environmental issues for his campus paper. We look forward to more posts from Alex in 2008!
As a passionate but realistic environmentalist, I swing back and forth a lot between hope and despair. There are all these wonderful plans and initiatives that get started, but as Andy says, sometimes it seems like nothing is really getting accomplished. But if we all step up our effective action a little, 2008 can be the year when things really start turning around.
It's true, legislatively things have not gone so great in 2007. Important provisions were stripped out of the American Energy Bill, continuing subsidies for big polluters. California's request to do better than the Environmental Protection Agency's national fuel efficiency standards was rejected. International talks in Bali stalled and postponed any real agreement.
But the wonderful renewable energy provisions did come close to passing Congress. The EPA's decision will probably be overturned soon. And most importantly in the United States, there will be a new administration elected in November, and it is likely it will be much more amenable to action to address climate change. And in Andy's own United Kingdom, there is a proposal to generate a quarter of the nation's energy from wind by 2020.
Of course, these are all future efforts, not affecting climate change for 7-12 years, but we have to celebrate what we get while at the same time pushing for more. Lamenting our miserable situation does nothing to win over anyone's commitment, but a dual message of emphasizing our victories without slacking our demands does. It's true, there is a long way to go, but people are finally beginning to pay more attention. Nearly half of all Americans have said they're making green New Year's resolutions this year.
And we don't have to fabricate exciting victories, either. Coal plants are getting denied permits all over the US. Solar energy is getting cheaper and cheaper. Green Building is growing faster than ever. Companies are starting to realize that green is profitable. November saw the largest youth environmental conference in North American history. And early in the new year, on January 31st, colleges and universities around the United States will host Focus the Nation, a day of education about climate change solutions, hopefully initiating an even greater influx of energy into our already dynamic movement.
The environmental movement is accelerating. Our meaningful achievements are increasing almost daily. Let us hope that in 2008 we will see more acceleration and even more meaningful accomplishments, and that we start to see immediate changes that can save us from our legitimate climate despair. These changes are coming. Let's have hope and work to make them a reality.
