Steve Curwood at Middlebury

Those of you who went to this afternoon's lecture by Steve Curwood from NPR's "Living on Earth," know what an amazing lecture it was. Factual, realistic, and inspiring. Curwood focused on the power of the image to initiate action in the masses. But contrary to all death and doomsday stories of global warming, he firmly believed that there is hope to turn the tide on the environmental crisis. His argument: if American society can change to give women the right to vote and own property, end slavery, control use of the atomic bomb, basically stop all country vs. country warfare, then we certainly can tackle climate change. The key: the image. People are just beginning to be scared enough of the image of rising ocean levels and more hurricanes to be nudged into action. Curwood also presented his practical financial argument for implementation of alternative energy sources in the United States: long-term financing for carbon-neutral home installments (solar panels, windmills, etc.) just like paying for cars and houses in installments.

I didn't stay 'tll the very end but I had a hard time buying into Curwood's national argument without any mention of the global challenge. As much as the U.S. is currently the keystone in environmental crisis, it won't be in the future. What is Curwood's solution to solving chemical and carbon issues internationally?

Further Reading:
Middlebury College ski facility takes carbon neutrality to new heights - Middlebury

Budgets Falling in Race to Fight Global Warming - [NYTimes.com]