“The Great Disruption” - the year that both the economy and the environment just said no

NY Times columnist Thomas Friedman, from opinion piece republished in the Int'l Herald Tribune

Let’s today step out of the normal boundaries of analysis of our economic crisis and ask a radical question: What if the crisis of 2008 represents something much more fundamental than a deep recession? What if it’s telling us that the whole growth model we created over the last 50 years is simply unsustainable economically and ecologically and that 2008 was when we hit the wall - when Mother Nature and the market both said: “No more.”

We have created a system for growth that depended on our building more and more stores to sell more and more stuff made in more and more factories in China, powered by more and more coal that would cause more and more climate change but earn China more and more dollars to buy more and more U.S. T-bills so America would have more and more money to build more and more stores and sell more and more stuff that would employ more and more Chinese …

We can’t do this anymore.

… One of those who has been warning me of this for a long time is Paul Gilding, the Australian environmental business expert. He has a name for this moment - when both Mother Nature and Father Greed have hit the wall at once - “The Great Disruption.”

“We are taking a system operating past its capacity and driving it faster and harder,” he wrote me. “No matter how wonderful the system is, the laws of physics and biology still apply.” We must have growth, but we must grow in a different way. For starters, economies need to transition to the concept of net-zero, whereby buildings, cars, factories and homes are designed not only to generate as much energy as they use but to be infinitely recyclable in as many parts as possible. Let’s grow by creating flows rather than plundering more stocks.

Gilding says he’s actually an optimist. So am I. People are already using this economic slowdown to retool and reorient economies.

Germany, Britain, China and the United States have all used stimulus bills to make huge new investments in clean power. South Korea’s new national paradigm for development is called: “Low carbon, green growth.” Who knew? People are realizing we need more than incremental changes - and we’re seeing the first stirrings of growth in smarter, more efficient, more responsible ways.

In the meantime, says Gilding, take notes: “When we look back, 2008 will be a momentous year in human history. Our children and grandchildren will ask us, ‘What was it like? What were you doing when it started to fall apart? What did you think? What did you do?”‘ Often in the middle of something momentous, we can’t see its significance. But for me there is no doubt: 2008 will be the marker - the year when ‘The Great Disruption’ began.

A great article – but what in the world does this have to do with Reno County and Kansas? Why should you care?
Even though the United States is making a shift and investment in clean power – Kansas is not. We have a legislative body (and Reno County legislators) who insist on tying our energy policy to passage of the Holcomb coal plant.

Instead of meaningful energy policy like a state Renewable Energy Standard (RES), fair Net Metering policy and real Energy Efficiency Standards, we are going to be stuck with energy policy that will not allow us to compete for federal stimulus dollars. The RES isn’t as good as the current voluntary standards utilities have agreed to. The net metering provision is worse than the current Parallel Generation Act and the energy efficiency standard only applies to NEW STATE buildings – how many of those will we be building in the next 10 years?

YOU have a chance to make a difference – let’s tell our Reno County delegation we want to be a state with GREAT energy policy. We want to reap the economic benefits wind energy can bring to both Reno County landowners and County coffers. We want the thousands of new jobs renewable energy and energy efficiency can bring to Kansas, we want the opportunity for Kansas manufacturers to build components for wind turbines and we want to be able to compete for billions of dollars in federal stimulus dollars to help make this all possible.

Whether or not you believe Kansas needs to build new coal plants – isn’t at issue here....What we want and need to bring prosperity to the plains is separate legislation for coal and clean energy policy.

Come to Topeka on March 19^th and rally with other Kansans for CLEAN ENERGY POLICY. Find details at www.kansascleanenergy.com.  If you can’t come in person – contact your legislators and tell them how you feel.

When your children and grandchildren ask you, ‘What was it like? What were you doing when it started to fall apart? What did you think? What did you do?”‘Tell them about the part you played in renewing Kansas through clean energy!

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