Citizen Power

This video is a preview of a Discovery channel show airing on Wednesday night (March 11)  called “Earth: The Sequel”.  Yes, we need a revolution of power from the sun, wind and water. The show is based on the book , written by Fred Krupp and Miriam Horn.  I plan on watching it and I’ll probably write a review here, since I’m a little concerned about this video’s message which seems to be:  There’s lots of money in global warming!  Or: climate change — a money-making opportunity!  It probably is, but it seems to be missing the point of the threat of climate change, which is that our very lives are threatened by it.

“The biggest new source of wealth in America”?  It’s possible, I guess, but is that what drove the Apollo program at NASA?  I bunch of guys thinking, “wow, this could make me rich!”  They wanted to get to the moon because they were scientifically challenged and motivated and they had a deadline.  The super-capitalist viewpoint seems to be suggesting that in order to get people to do the right thing, you have to tempt people with making lots of money.  For some people, that is no doubt true.  For them, saving the habitability of the planet and  humans and other life is not enough of a motivation.  But if there is lots of money to be made, even non-environmentalists will try to help out. I’m just worried about the type of “help” they might be offering, and whether it might do more harm than good.  Like “biofuels” and pushing the use of natural gas.

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