Greenspan Continues . . .

Speaking at a Congressional hearing, Alan Greenspan has already [recanted](http://www.johnehrenfeld.com/2009/03/oops.html#comments) his formerly unassailable wisdom as Fed Chairman. Now he continues his apology, although this time in a much less personal [op-ed in the WSJ](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123672965066989281.html). Here are a few excepts. Global market competition and integration in goods, services and finance have brought unprecedented gains in material well being. But the growth path of highly competitive markets is cyclical. And on rare occasions it can break down, with consequences such as those we are currently experiencing. It is now very clear that the levels of complexity to which market practitioners at the… Read More

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This IS a Test!

Tom Friedman’s NYTimes column today had the headline, “This is Not a Test.” I know he was using the word in an ironic sense, but I think he is dangerously wrong. This–what is happening out there in the world–is indeed a test. We are all being tested to see how we react to a series of threats. We, that is, each of us as an individual and all of us as a collective society, have been living in a bubble. Not just a dot.com or housing bubble, but a cultural bubble, ignoring indisputable evidence of present and impending breakdowns and… Read More

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Welcome Back “Science”

Science has returned to Presidential politics. President Obama has issued a directive on scientific integrity, effectively telling all agencies to stop playing fast and loose with scientific findings. The order is short and sweet, and restores scientific knowledge to its important place in informing decisions where such knowledge has significant probative weight. > Science and the scientific process must inform and guide decisions of my Administration on a wide range of issues, including improvement of public health, protection of the environment, increased efficiency in the use of energy and other resources, mitigation of the threat of climate change, and protection… Read More

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Conspicuous Consumption Under Stress

There is no question that consumption will decrease during this period of financial distress. Any recession is defined by a decrease in GDP, which is a measure of consumption [and the production of the goods and services we consume]. Given the current numbers, consumption has already decreased over the past few months. From the perspective of sustainability, the question is whether the quantitative reduction will be accompanied by a change in the nature of the “needs” that economists and psychologists argue drive consumption choices. If the reduction is only the result of having less money, then there is a reasonable… Read More

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A Bum Rap

I take green issues very seriously, but occasionally I cannot help but seeing some humor out there. I know we should be looking everywhere for ways to lessen the impact of our mindless consumption. But I can’t help myself from breaking into the tiniest of a grin about this serious piece. The headline tells enough, “America’s Love Affair with Really Soft Toilet Paper Is Causing an Environmental Catastrophe.” Here’s the gist. > Americans have been long chastised for our environmental footprints (and for good reason). But the latest report from environmental groups including Greenpeace should give us major reason to… Read More

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The End of Long-term Thinking

Jamais Cascio posted an article with the headline above. I agree with most of his points, but think his article still leaves us in a linguistic muddle. > My intent, from this point forward, is to stop talking about the “long-term.” No more long-term problems, long-term solutions, long-term changes. No more long-term perspectives. > > In its place, I’m going to start talking about “multigenerational” issues. Multigenerational problems, solutions, changes. Multigenerational perspectives. . . The advantage of the term “multigenerational” is threefold. > > Firstly, it returns a sense of perspective that’s often absent from purportedly “long-term” thinking. In a… Read More

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Oops

Not my bad this time. I caught this statement when it was made back in October, but missed the whole colloquy with Congressman Henry Waxman. In a nutshell, this is why we are is the mess we are in, beyond the financial crunch. The way we explain how the world works, indeed, has serious flaws far beyond those Greenspan [used to justify his poor judgment](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/19/alan-greenspan-the-oracle_n_168168.html). > REP. HENRY WAXMAN: [T]his is your statement. ‘I do have an ideology. My judgment is that free competitive markets are by far the unrivaled way to organize economies. We’ve tried regulation. None meaningfully worked.’….Do… Read More

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Is Losing an Hour of Sleep Really Green?

One argument used in lengthening the duration of Daylight Saving Time has been that it will save energy. Early risers can get to work at home, on the farm, or at the office without switching on so many lights. Maybe the program will not work quite that way as this [article suggests](http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/03/05/daylight-savingsenergy-savings/). > This sounded good to me, so I did not further study this claim. However, these folks did… > – A [statistical analysis by the California Energy Commission](http://energy.ca.gov/2007publications/CEC-200-2007-004/CEC-200-2007-004.PDF) showed little or no energy savings. – Scientists from the University of California-Santa Barbara [studied the state of Indiana’s energy… Read More

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Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Begins at Home

In my book, sustainability is defined as the possibility of flourishing. This means that each species, other than humans, maintains its evolutionary population levels within an ecosystem. It does not mean that the population is constant, but exhibits resiliency — it can recover from shocks to the system to return to its historic levels. Today many species are threatened or endangered under this definition. The human species, as a life form, is subject to the same category of threats to their existence and has responded to such challenges historically by devising technological and institutional systems to counter such threats. Because… Read More

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Oops

A few posts ago, I used the Chinese word for crisis as meaning the combination of danger and opportunity. Gena Rotstein pointed out that this interpretation is not quite right. She linked me to an article by a Chinese language expert, Victor Mair, that explains: > There is a widespread public misperception, particularly among the New Age sector, that the Chinese word for “crisis” is composed of elements that signify “danger” and “opportunity.” . . . the damage from this kind of pseudo-profundity has reached such gross proportions that I feel obliged, as a responsible Sinologist, to take counteraction. .… Read More

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