How did the image of environmentalists evolve from being more than hippie-dippie tree huggers?
Hurricane Katrina put a human face on what global warming and the warming of our oceans mean: stronger and more severe storms. Al Gore continued that education process. But my colleagues in the environmentalists community deserve credit too. We realized that it is not enough to complain, and that we needed to come up with solutions that are good for people, the natural world and the economy. And good for big business too, right? Absolutely. The smartest companies can see over the horizon and anticipate consumers’ demands, which will be for more efficient products. That’s also why Environmental Defense has been able to team up with Alcoa, DuPont, Caterpillar, General Electric, Duke Energy, BP America and others on a plan that could cut greenhouse gas emissions 60% to 80% from current levels by 2050, with interim targets at 5, 10 and 15 years. This plan is a jobs winner as well as an environmental winner. The “cap and trade” solution you all have agreed on would have the U.S. government
