We decided to set out with a mission - a clear and quantifiable goal that we could rally the troops around: conserve 1,000,000 pounds of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere by June 1st, 2014.
Great. We have a goal, now how do we get there? We discussed various methods of tackling this challenge, ranging from creating a new environmental lobby to force government action, increasing the adoption of technologies that mitigate carbon impact, among others.
After some heated discussion (and despite my own personal desire to drive a Tesla and have a house 100% lit by LEDs) we ultimately decided that neither of these first two approaches could ever bring about any meaningful change. Why is that?
As noble and important as the Kyoto Accord was, it ultimately was a complete and utter failure. Now, if you’re a typical activist, you might say, “Nonsense! It kicked off the Zeitgeist of carbon awareness and efficiency. It was United States that torpedoed it.” Well, do you know what the consumer response has been to that improved efficiency? People now think they can afford to fly every month, leave every light on in the house, and drive everywhere and anywhere, as long as they're in their Prius.
Any government framework, especially those focused on the industrial and commercial sectors, are doomed to failure. If any meaningful impact will be made, it will come from citizens.
We’ve already touched on the technology argument: efficiency gains are usually outmatched by increases in net use. We’re a little less pessimistic on technology, but only see it as an accelerator, not as a solution. We can use technology to augment our reductions, but ultimately, the only solution to our climate change challenge is the hard one: behavior change. People have to start fundamentally thinking about how their actions impact their carbon footprint and make changes to their lifestyle to improve it.
Now the real question is: how do we get people to change their behavior? Well, you’ll have to wait till our next post.