In today’s New York Times, there’s another one of those “hey, the economy’s getting pretty bad” articles, but this time, we’re adding in the fact that industry is taking this chance to say, “Oh, by the way, we totally can’t reduce emissions and make money at the same time…and we’re not making any money anyway, SO…”

This comes at a time when western nations are generally trying to stick to their pledges to reduce emissions.

President-elect Barack Obama and the European Union have vowed to stick to commitments to cap emissions of carbon dioxide and invest in new green technologies, arguing that government action could stimulate the economy and create new jobs in producing sustainable energy.

It should also be noted that no country has officially repudiated any goals that have been set to reduce climate change, but at least a few are heading in that direction.  The article points to China as one country that may have trouble matching growth with environmentalism, but there are some others in that list we might not expect.

Italy’s environment minister, Stefania Prestigiacomo, said last month that “profound changes” were needed in the European Union climate package because of the global economic crisis. Coal-based economies like Poland’s have expressed similar worries.

What I find unfortunate is that we’re relatively sure that over the long run, greening industry will save money.  However, the “long run” is not necessarily what large corporations or countries look at…which might explain why every country is going broke, as it is.  That whole profit-every-quarter deal.  But, it’s understandable, if not exactly ideal.
takepart and contact your representatives in Washington and request that come the new adminstration, the United States lead the way in reducing carbon emissions.  And don’t forget to takepart to learn HOW to write Congress for maximum effect!