Let the Earth Race Begin
What if we turned the challenge of creating our sustainable future into a global race? Imagine the green careers that would bloom. This idea was originally proffered by Thomas Friedman, one of my favorite thinkers and author of Hot, Flat and Crowded.
“I am an Earth Race guy. I believe that averting catastrophic climate change is a huge scale issue. The only engine big enough to impact Mother Nature is Father Greed: the Market. Only a market, shaped by regulations and incentives to stimulate massive innovation in clean, emission-free power sources can make a dent in global warming. And no market can do that better than America’s.
Therefore, the goal of Earth Racers is to focus on getting the U.S. Senate to pass an energy bill, with a long-term price on carbon that will really stimulate America to become the world leader in clean-tech. If we lead by example, more people will follow us by emulation than by compulsion of some U.N. treaty.”
The Space Race Took Us to the Moon. Where Could the Earth Race Take Us?
“In the cold war, we had the space race: who could be the first to put a man on the moon. Only two countries competed, and there could be only one winner. Today, we need the Earth Race: who can be the first to invent the most clean technologies so men and women can live safely here on Earth. Maybe the best thing President Obama could have done here in Copenhagen was to make clear that America intends to win that race. All he needed to do in his speech was to look China’s prime minister in the eye and say: “I am going to get our Senate to pass an energy bill with a price on carbon so we can clean your clock in clean-tech. This is my moon shot. Game on.”
Because once we get America racing China, China racing Europe, Europe racing Japan, Japan racing Brazil, we can quickly move down the innovation-manufacturing curve and shrink the cost of electric cars, batteries, solar and wind so these are no longer luxury products for the wealthy nations but commodity items the third world can use and even produce.
If you start the conversation with “climate” you might get half of America to sign up for action. If you start the conversation with giving birth to a “whole new industry” — one that will make us more energy independent, prosperous, secure, innovative, respected and able to out-green China in the next great global industry — you get the country. For good reason: Even if the world never warms another degree, population is projected to rise from 6.7 billion to 9 billion between now and 2050, and more and more of those people will want to live like Americans. In this world, demand for clean power and energy efficient cars and buildings will go through the roof.”
* Imagine the Green Careers.
An Earth Race led by America — built on markets, economic competition, national self-interest and strategic advantage — is a more self-sustaining way to reduce carbon emissions. Let the Earth Race begin.
Ecology/Environment
Urban gardeners, Carbon footprint analysts, Solar panel installers, Wind energy construction, Coastal relocation specialists, Water conservationists
Economy/Employment
Emissions traders, Global impact advisors, Green marketing executives, Green job program creators and trainers, Consumption reduction consultants, Environmental literacy specialists, Hemp producers, Sustainability auditors
Education
Personalized education advisors, Online school employees, Environmental literature professors, Environmental historians
Enlightenment
Storytellers, Sleep therapists, Change therapists, Interfaith leadership roles, Interfaith mediators, Retirement counselors, Play therapists
Equality/Equity
Health care advisors, Peacemakers, Foreign culture specialists, Restorative justice practitioners, Community-builders, Migration counselors, specialists
Written by Todd Borghesani
* Dr. Robert Pavlik, a leader in Sustainable Futures Education at the Marquette University’s Institute for the Transformation of Learning, sent me this list of future green careers.
I know what you are thinking. A farmer? Is this really a great career move? In a word, yes. I’m not talking about moving to Indiana and driving a tractor for the rest of your life, though. I’m talking about becoming an elite urban farmer, creating a technology and science driven enterprise that uses run-down urban properties and advanced hydroponic systems. Then add a Ph.D. in botany — the scientific study of plants, including their physiology, structure, genetics, ecology, distribution, classification, and economic importance. I’m talking about creating a future-proof career, a sustainable future and a great business.
There has been a colossal change in India’s climate change strategy over the last few months. From being a staunch opponent of any emission reduction targets to a prospective climate leader, India has changed gears so rapidly that now its proposals to reduce its carbon footprint have come under questioning.