Sustainability

1. Sustainability Class 4 CofC POLS 319 Maymester P. Brian Fisher

2. History of Energy Policy • Every President since Nixon has promoted fossil fuel reduction, particularly to reduce foreign dependency on oil • Since the ‘70s, the White House, Congress and the public have “feebly and inconstantly embraced renewable energy and conservation compared to the national investment in fossil fuels.” (Environmental Politics & Policy, 2010)

3. Public Op on Energy • 2009, “a majority of the public sees the price of energy and dependence on foreign oil as troubling problems” and “a substantial consensus [exists] on the proposals that the nation should pursue, particularly alternative energy, conservation and incentives to become more efficient.” (p289) • However, the study concluded that the public “may not have realistic assumptions about how quickly and easily these alternatives can be achieved.”

4. American’s Knowledge of the Problem(2009 Survey on Energy/Environment) • 40% could not name a fossil fuel • 50% could not identify a renewable source of energy • 60% thought nuclear energy contributed to climate change • 47% (in 2010) believe that climate change is generated by humans; 36% believe it is natural; 22% believe the earth is not warming

5. 2009 Survey Results on Energy • 2009 Survey: Most important problem now? • 1% climate change/global warming • 1% environmental pollution/damage to ecosystem • 1% energy depletion/shortage of Oil/energy independence • 1% prices of gas/fuel • 2009 Survey: Most important future problem? • 11% climate change/global warming • 7% environmental pollution • 3 % Energy resource depletion/shortage of oil or energy • 1% prices of gas/fuel

6. Misleading Terms on Energy • “Greening the Energy Sector” • “Climate Change” or “Global Warming” • “prices of fuel or energy” • “Eco-efficiency” • “Energy Independence” • “National Energy Security” • “Renewable Energy” • “Damage to Ecosystems from Fossil Fuel Extraction” • Conclusion: These are all reflections of the SAME core problem.

7. Political Ideology Frames Debate • Without proper understanding not only of these issues, but the interconnections, many fall back on political ideology to help decipher the problem. • Conservatives: “energy independence and security” • Liberals: “climate change and sustainability” • Result: Leads to dramatic political polarization on an issue where every one generally agrees • This polarization has worked in conjunction with other economic and financial issues that have created a “paralysis” on energy policy

8. Climate Survey • Our Survey (google docs) • Yale Project on Climate Change Beliefs (June 2010) • Longitudinal Survey on Climate Change • NOV 2008, JAN 2010, June 2010 • “Climate Change in the American Mind”

9. Survey Q: GW happening? • Q47. Recently, you may have noticed that global warming has been getting some attention in the news. Global warming refers to the idea that the world’s average temperature has been increasing over the past 150 years, may be increasing more in the future, and that the world’s climate may change as a result. What do you think? Do you think that global warming is happening?

10. Survey Q: Certainty? • Q48. How sure are you that global warming is happening?

11. Survey Q: Causes • Q50. Assuming global warming is happening, do you think it is…

12. Survey Q: Science on GCC • Which comes closer to your own view?

13. Survey Q: Concern over GCC • How worried are you about global warming?

14. Survey Q: Harm to Developed/Developing Countries • How much do you think that GW will harm people in Industrialized Countries? Developing Countries?

15. Gen Y: Concern over GCC

16. Gen Y: Believe in GW

17. Trust of Media & Scientists for Info on GCC 53%  56% Distrust 18%  19% Distrust 2 Observations: No change between Nov 2008 & June 2010—contrary to other Qs Less than 20% distrust Scientists; 50-60% distrust Mainstream Media

18. Religious Leaders for Info on GCC • 40-50% trust Religious Leaders for info on GCC • Is this high/low? Why? • Slight decline in trust between Nov 2008 & June 2010 48%  42%

19. Reasons for Doubt… • Sources of info: Distrust Media and some scientists • Almost half receive trust religious leaders for GCC info • Misunderstanding of issue: weather = climate; fossil fuels/renewables? • Politicians? Political Ideology?

20. Trust of Politicians on GW

21. Ideological Differences • Younger Generation has slightly more of a gap than national average; that is, there is a larger gap between conservatives and liberals • Data shows a significant gap between conservatives and liberals (ideologically) • Why??

22. Trust based on Ideology 30% Difference 51% Difference 47% Difference

23. Now: Most Pressing Problems

24. Future: Most Serious Problem

25. Jamieson, ‘An American Paradox’ • Conclusion: While many Americans consider themselves “environmentalists”, they show “little willingness to voluntarily restrain their behavior or to support specific fiscal policies that would result in increased levels of environmental protection” • Why?? • How important are incentives? • Trust? • Problems too complex? Too Interconnected? • Berry/White: Wrong relationship to nature?

26. Shellenberger & Nordhaus--Death of Environmentalism “Are existing environmental institutions up to the task of imagining the post-global warming world? Or do we now need a set of new institutions founded around a more expansive vision and set of values?”

27. Shellenberger & Nordhaus--Death of Environmentalism • Environmentalism has become a special interest group, like any other political interest • Current model of doing politics is largely based on successes that the environmental movement had in the early '70s. They were developed to use scientific and legal expertise to identify a problem, craft a very specific technical policy solution to address that problem, and then go hire communications specialists and lobbyists and organizers to go sell that technical policy solution. • What must die is a particular conception of what environmentalism is and how enviro advocacy and campaigns are organized and run.

28. “Death of Environmentalism” Enviro approach has failed for 2 reasons • 1. the values, mindsets, frames of reference, and belief systems Americans use to make sense of the world have changed dramatically over the last 12 years, but the strategies of the environmental movement have not. • 2. We are faced with a set of massive ecological challenges -- global warming, global habitat destruction, global species destruction, deterioration of the world's oceans, the ozone hole -- that are fundamentally different from the kind of problems the environmental movement was constructed 30 years ago to address. • On every one of these emerging issues, our national environmental movement has been strikingly ineffectual.

29. American Enviro Values Survey • 1. Americans’ environmental concerns are divergent and polarized. • 2. Libertarian values are ascendant over communal values. • 3. Issue complexity has paralyzed many Americans. • 4. Men and women have some very different environmental concerns. • 5. Environmentalism is hampered by anti-science attitudes. • 6. Indifference is a major factor among some groups of Americans. • 7. Competing priorities affect all groups of Americans. • 8. There are three major environmental issue groupings among Americans. • 9. The pocketbook is the most powerful leverage point for changing personal behavior. • 10. Environmental responsibility is getting more personal. • 11. Environmentalism and environmentalists have an image problem.

30. Environmental Attitudes • Deprioritize “environment” now, but in future, many Americans see it as a priority • Jamieson, “An American Paradox” • Nichols Institute’s findings—MOST VOTERS: • Believe significant progress has been made on EP • Perceive enviro as “long term issues that did not warrant the same priority as more ‘immediate concerns such as jobs and health care.” • Assume that enviro policies would have a negative economic impacts such as lost jobs and higher taxes. • By 2009, Gallup Poll indicated that for the 1st time in 25yrs, a majority favored protecting econ growth over the environment.