I’m compelled to share the cover image of this week’s Economist magazine. The cover story is on the shift of the US’s shift towards greenery. It’s an overview article, covering many of the recent political developments. Their main point is that the current greenery is bottom-up, not top-down imposed by the federal government.
They feel that the drivers of the political shift are:
- Voter reaction to increasingly frequent intense weather events, especially hurricane Katrina. Climate researchers expect violent and erratic weather due to global warming.
- Self preservation on the part of Republicans. The only Republican who weathered the November elections well was the quite green Governator.
- Energy security worries (a two edged sword.)
- Businesses, who recognize the inevitability of climate controls, and so want to be part of the process of designing them.
They seem to expect rapid change due to this state-driven momentum. Here’s hoping.
Marc Gunther said
That’s a great cover image–and testimony, by itself, to the fact that Economist editors believe that their readers know what a CFL bulb looks like (Although many now resemble conventional bulbs.) As someone who works in the business press, I am just stunned by the attention that the media is (finally) paying to green business these days. I know there’s great excitement about green tech at Fortune, where I work. It feels like the excitement over the Internet in that late 1990s. A little unnerving.
tomkonrad said
I admit, current goings on in Washington DC (not to mention right here at my state capitol in Denver) have me wondering if I’m dreaming. I’ve tried pinching myself, but I still have not woken up.