I"m optimistic too, maybe support for ecological research and
restoration may increase; however I"m also aware that the reality of
reducing the national carbon footprint is a huge challenge, essentially
requiring a reduction in per-capita energy (and resource) use. One of
the ways to do so in an average American city (NYC, Boston and Chicago
excepted) is to invest in mass transit, so that it becomes a practical
option. But given the collosal national debt, with certain lobbies
opposed to pulling out of the various wars etc, where is the money going
to come from for this ? The public should not just look to Obama, they
have to look at themselves first, to see how and where they can reduce
resource use.
Cheers
Amartya
Alison Munson wrote:
>From a cooler northern perspective:
Many of us were as glued to the screen as Americans last evening.
I am just RELIEVED that the Bush years are almost behind (can you
minimize the rest of the damage he is trying to do before leaving?)
I believe it will be easier to advance real response to climate change
in the next years, world-wide. I don't underestimate the importance of
the US agenda to Canadian policies; we will have to keep up to any
progress to the south, even though our conservative government has been
trying to block progress on an international level. I am not sure this
will be possible without the moral support that was present from the
Bush administration.
I am elated. Maybe this was driven by personal economic reasons in some
large part (among other good reasons), but honestly, today I don't care.
All the best for the next years with Barak. We are watching with
fascination.
Alison
