What, me worry?

And a few classic movies posters reconfigured…

In a sure sign that climate change is no longer a left vs. right issue, the WSJ has launched an environmental blog called Environmental Capital to cover the global economic impact and response to warming and energy issues.

While I disagree with virtually every editorial position the Journal takes on climate change (a few days ago one editorial referred to those of us working on climate issues as ‘warmists’!), they have, paradoxically, had some of best coverage of energy, sustainability and carbon emissions. The blog is yet another example of how this situation has major implications for businesses large and small- it is the classic opportunity shrouded in a crisis.

Bloomberg reports that Japanese PM Fukuda has announced plans to take the lead in developing alternative energy and controlling emissions:

“Over the next five years, Japan will spend $30 billion on new environmental technology at home and provide another $10 billion for developing countries, Fukuda said in a speech today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Fukuda also proposed a 30 percent improvement in energy efficiency globally by 2020.”

Nice to see someone taking the lead while our leaders waffle. Do you think they see a market opportunity?

Viewing the solutions to climate change from a global perspective can be daunting but it’s important to remember that, on a personal level, these solutions are local. I live in a mid-sized (1mm+ regional population) city with a relatively compact footprint. The highest impact we can have here in Rochester would be a 10 year, all hands on deck initiative to leverage that footprint into a fully green city with a high density center, a state of the art light rail system and sustainable energy generation processes that utilize our abundant water, wind and geothermal resources. It is completely doable here and, with gas prices skyrocketing ( I paid 3.49/gallon yesterday!), there will be a viable short term economic justification for going green now.

WorldChanging has a long draft piece on green cities that outlines the why and how of this concept. This is not a futurist manifesto, it is a cogent argument for moving forward now. From an economic development perspective, devoting our local resources to a plan like this would immediately turn us from a provincial outpost into a global city.

It’s called vision and leadership.