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When announcing his plan to kick-start the U.S. economy in the
midst of the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt famously declared that the
country had “nothing to fear but fear itself.” In just 100 days, through a
flurry of legislation and investment, his government dragged the country up off
its knees — a towering political achievement.
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Today, this kind of bold political leadership seems in short
supply, particularly when it comes to dealing with environmental challenges.
Many politicians seem unable or unwilling to look beyond short-term electoral
concerns to the long-term well being of the planet — something that becomes
acutely clear whenever world leaders gather at climate change summits. Even the
immediate impacts of a warming climate on food and water security are treated
as isolated crises, rather than prompting action to tackle the root causes.
By contrast, it’s not hard to find examples of ambitious local
leadership on climate change. In the U.S., for instance, state government has
been “much more proactive in taking action on climate change than the federal
government,” observes Dr. Hu Tao, Senior Associate at the World Resources
Institute. He points to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative — a cooperative
effort by several Northeast and Mid-Atlantic U.S. states to cap CO2 emissions
from the energy sector — as well Michael Bloomberg’s efforts to improve New
York City’s environmental sustainability by 2030.
Many
other cities, states and counties across the world are also pressing ahead with
innovative solutions to sustainability challenges. For example, Ontario,
Canada’s largest province, has installed 4.7 million smart meters and its Smart
Grid Fund provides financial support for innovative Smart Grid technologies.
While in southeast Queensland, local government and utilities worked together
to reduce water use among 80,000 “high volume” households, implementing
solutions such as rain capture bins and low-irrigation lawn covers.
Read
more at ENN affiliate Triple Pundit.
Renewable
energy image and U.S.
Capitol Building via Shutterstock. Final image morphed by Robin Blackstone.
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