Global Warming.  The thoughts are already swirling in your head concerning your feelings on the matter, I’m sure.  Ready to vehemently disagree with what I’m about to tell you or quickly jump to the comments to express your support.  Well, sorry to both of you, because I don’t care which side will ultimately be right.

The debate on global warming is probably one of the most fascinating and controversial issues our generation currently faces.  It’s fundamentally divided along the usual lines: liberal vs. conservative, religion vs. science, young vs. old, brother vs. brother.  It’s clearly an important issue and there are a lot of fired up people out there that will go to the grave arguing for their cause.

As will I.  But my argument centers around something that many are missing out on, especially given the dark scary cloud hovering over the world economy.  The fact is this: investment to create a sustainable environment will greatly benefit the world economically, not to mention possibly halting the process of supposed man-made global warming.

Western consumption has fed an ever-growing global economy, and this consumption relies on several tenants, the most important of which is turnover of goods.  Materials like plastic and Styrofoam allow the cost of goods of consumer goods to decrease and contribute to the ubiquity of disposal goods.  Anyone with a high school diploma willing to look into the long term can clearly see that the amount of waste produced by western civilization is unsustainable, all factors remaining constant.  Add population growth into the equation, and it becomes a serious issue for our children.  Throw in the several billion people in places like China and India who are about to enter the middle class over the next several decades, and it becomes a devastating global problem threatening our viability to sustain life on this planet.

Let’s be clear.  I’m about the farthest thing from an environmentalist, and I love technology enough to be considered guiltier than most in the consumption department.  Hopefully that quiets you right wingers who are still with me.  But it’s hard to disprove the logic behind the argument that the amount of waste we produce needs to be curbed dramatically.

So that’s the feel good why, but what’s the economic why?  Where’s the incentive?  Innovation is the key here.  Reducing the amount of waste the civilized world produces is a daunting task.  You are not going to un-learn the consumption habits of western society, no matter how hard you try.  Recycling is effective in cutting waste and natural resource and energy consumption, but it’s not a widespread practice.  New methods and technologies need to be developed to solve this issue in creative ways.  Technologies are developed through research.  Research provides jobs.  People need jobs (especially now) to make money, and they send it right back into the economy through consumption.  It’s a beautiful cycle and encourages reinvestment and development.  That’s just the start.

Innovation cultivates smart people and also attracts them from other countries, firing off another key growth factor.  These talented individuals will further enhance innovation, start businesses, create more jobs, and trigger other positive effects.  All of this is great news for the American economy (and has huge implications on the global political climate, which is a completely different can of worms).

Lastly, it has the potential to elevate the depths of our workforce into more “thought” intensive positions as opposed to low level service positions at Walmart.  See, everybody wins.

I’m usually not this much of an optimist, but damn does this sound good on paper.  The barriers are monumental, and given the power of those who stand to lose in this battle, it seems close to impossible to enact.  If nothing else, though, there’s no reason to waste our dwindling supply of fresh oxygen arguing about the temperature.  It’s time to see the overwhelming positive in a united effort for sustainability on the planet, invest some money in R&D, and get some ROI before the opportunity passes.

I invite anyone who sees a problem with net-zero consumption to a duel to the death (or a friendly conversation in the comments).

Global warming · innovation