It’s far too late and things are far too bad for pessimism!



It’s easy to get depressed looking at environmental issues: While we’ve stopped the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) from further damaging the ozone layer , it’ll take generations to be fully repaired. Hello, skin cancer. Forests worldwide continue to disappear at an alarming rate, wreaking havoc with species, the air we breathe and exacerbating CO2 build up.  Patches of plastic garbage the size of Texas are floating in our oceans and wiping out turtles, birds and fish, and climate change due to greenhouse gasses is bearing down on us like a class 5 hurricane. But hey- this is no time to stick our heads between our legs and kiss our butts goodbye.  We’ve accomplished a lot and can do more- the window of opportunity isn’t closed yet.  Here are 10 success stories from past efforts, and what’s left to get done:

1. Cleaner Water: Thanks to the Clean Water Act of the 1970s, more of the nation's rivers and lake waters are swimmable, fishable and drinkable. For example, salmon have returned to the Penobscot River in New England, where none were found in the 1970’s. The Lake Erie beaches are open for swimming again and the lake is a destination for walleye fisherman due to recovery and the expansion of the fish population. The Willamette River in Oregon, called a "biological cesspool" in 1967, is alive with migratory salmon and native trout. Worldwide, clean drinking water and treated wastewater are perhaps the greatest environmental achievements of the 20th century. Longevity and quality of life have increased dramatically.

• The Next Task: Focus on protecting watershed, water systems and aquifers, and chemicals and pathogens in the water supply.

2. Pollution prevention. We take it for granted today, but pollution prevention by industry and government brought us recycling; green chemistry; industrial ecology; and ‘cradle to cradle’ design to reduce, reuse, and remanufacture products. We’ve avoided millions of tons of pollutants, saved thousands of lives and big bucks in the process.

• The Next Task: Get our arms around micro pollutants that are toxic at smaller levels, and move to a true “closed loop economy” where all waste is food for another process.
  
  

3. Cleaner Air: Before 1970 U.S. Clean Air Act, there were cities in the US where you could not roll down your windows without choking. Britain had “killer fogs” from coal burning, and I’ve been in cities in Eastern Europe where all the cars were black from the windows down due to airborne soot. Our air is generally a lot cleaner, and taking the lead out of gasoline in 1971 was a big plus for our lungs. Similar action has been taken by the EPA on fine particulates and ozone.

• The Next Task: Ozone and smog is still an issue many places and all you have to do is look at photos from China to know that globally, we’ve still got a long ways to go. The air is everywhere.

4. Renewable energy. Raise your hand if you heard of a solar panel in 1970. In the U.S, states passed renewable energy laws making wind and solar power permanent parts of our energy mix and these so called “alternatives” are growing at 30% every year. Biomass and tides are also on the rise. Everyday people own the wind and sunlight on their property- it puts energy in the hands of the people.

• The Next Task: Kill coal. Coal still produces 50% of our electricity, and kills about 30,000 Americans every year. In China it’s even worse, and kills over 300,000 Chinese yearly, while it fuels climate change. Clean coal is PR hype. Coal is Satan. Kill it. Any questions?

5. Removing toxins. When I was a kid, bug sprays were everywhere. God bless Rachel Carson- most regulations on persistent toxic chemicals sprang from the reaction to Silent Spring. In the 1970’s the bald eagle was one of the first animals placed on the endangered species list: it was taken off the list in 2007, having rebounded dramatically, thanks in large part to the banning of DDT.  Even the folks who make Raid (kills bugs dead) are offering natural alternatives like garlic.

• The Next Task: Practice caution. We keep finding new toxins like BPA in the things we touch, eat and drink from and breathe nearby. Make everything from known safe materials.

6. International Cooperation. International treaties can help to preserve the environment and stimulate trade at the same time. The 1988 Montreal Protocol to ban ozone-depleting chemicals was a high point of international cooperation to protect the environment. Whaling treaties help protect some of these great creatures, although bad boy Japan (Eat the Whales) still conducts “research” the way I “research” a pastrami on rye at my  local deli.

• The Next Task: Climate Change treaties that mean something. We can’t keep saying that the hole is in someone else’s end of the boat. Either we crack this nut, or nothing else matters.

7. The rise of grassroots. Paul Hawken’s great book Blessed Unrest illustrated how the non-governmental organization began and continues to change the world. From local to global, via grassroots efforts and internet savvy, the tens of thousands of  NGOs worldwide raise funds, organize folks, pressure politicians, call out issues, keep governments on their toes and generally don’t let the bastards get away with it. Some, like the Nature Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund contribute directly to sustainability by purchasing habitat to protect species.

• The Next Task: Like computer hackers cooking up the next virus, the few that want to exploit the world at the expense of the many are always developing new approaches, even seemingly ‘green’ ones. And new issues are always being identified. We all need to support our NGOs, or start our own.

8. Putting Pollution on the Balance Sheet: Putting a value on sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxide dramatically reduced the levels of these pollutants. Business hates waste, and if incentivized, will usually figure out a way to eliminate it. Trading pollutants like commodities puts a value on what is being lost.  It can cost up to $1600 per ton to emit sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxides, although the recent recession has brought those prices down into lower territory.  Still for big polluters, that’s a lot of moolah up the smokestack.

• The Next Task: Put CO2 on the balance sheet. Carbon is trading for about 10 cents a ton- which is insane if you calculate the human and economic impacts of climate change. We’ve got to get this one priced right

9. Reporting and Transparency: Back in the ‘80s, Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan said that if we required industries to report their release of toxins publically, the problem would begin to correct itself. Turns out he was largely right.  U.S. industries have reduced TRI emissions on the Toxics Release inventory (TRI) by 50–75% since 1988. No CEO wants to be Number 1 on a toxic release list. The Puritan practice of public shaming is a great motivator. Efforts like the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) are working to make environmental and social reporting as common as financial reporting. Every company worth noting has a sustainability report these days.

• The Next Task: Hold companies accountable in the market place for environmental damage, like the recent Gulf Spew. With the NGO’s we could boycott companies until they get their act straight, and then reward them for doing so. Treat ‘em like your kids.

10. You Woke Up And Gave A Damn: The fact that you have read this far is a victory for the planet. The number of people who care, and take action to preserve this blue/green globe for all the generations to come, continues to grow by leaps and bounds. That may the biggest success story of all- the growth of awareness and commitment. It takes more than a village; it takes a planet to save a planet.

• The Next Task: That’s up to you to decide. Enroll a friend, educate a child, support a cause, change your life a little or a lot. It all boils down to each of us doing whatever we can, wherever we are, to keep life expanding, rather than shrinking on this Earth. The path ahead is tough- but look at how far we’ve come. We can do this thing.