Asked if abandoning the fossil fuels that are contributing to the greenhouse effect would cause large numbers of layoffs, McKibben replied, "We're not employing that many people in the carbon industry. Coal mining has been so automated that it's shrunk to a very small number of people." He notes further, "Most of the fossil fuel that we use comes from other places so the people we're employing tend to be Saudi Arabians, about whom I think we should not worry too much about their economic future." On the other hand, he says, "We stand the prospect of creating large numbers of new jobs as we make a real significant energy transition, which is very good news. It's one of the few (areas) you can think of that might drive the economy going forward in a really powerful way. It represents a large part of our economy, and that transition will create lots and lots of opportunities." The author/activist says a major task is to make existing housing stock more efficient by "Stuffing the walls with insulation, putting solar panels on the top, and on and on and on. You're unlikely to ship your house to China in order to get it insulated. That's work that has to be done here, close to home. By it's nature it's creating work and I would much rather be spending our natural resources on that than just handing them over in a check every month to the princes of Saudi Arabia."
McKibben's organization coordinated 5,200 simultaneous rallies on Oct. 24th, 2009, in 181 countries, managing in the process to convince about 120 governments to adopt the 350 target. Unfortunately, the largest nation states contributing to global warming---the U.S. and China---"weren't yet ready to deal with what that science meant, and the kind of cuts in emissions in things that we'd require," he said. "So Copenhagen (the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 held that December), in many ways ended in failure. But as far as movements go, we finally have one" and it's a big global movement, he adds, so "we continue to press forward at 350.org." He noted that Cable News Network termed the date the most widespread day of political action in the planet's history and Foreign Policy magazine praised it as the largest coordinated global rally of any kind.
McKibben called for replacing fossil fuel energy with "concentrated solar power and concentrated wind" energy. He called for initiatives to develop such power sources locally, rather than at a distance from the consumer, to avoid transportation costs. Recent work from the Institute of Local Self Reliance, he said, makes it clear that nearly every state could generate the power it needs within its borders.
McKibben said the Congress has not yet taken any meaningful action on global warming, adding that it will come "the day we attach a price to carbon. So far we haven't done that. He goes on to say, "I think the most likely plan is now what we're calling Cap and Dividend, which in effect puts a tax on carbon and then takes that money and funnels it directly back to consumers. Basically, it lets them own the sky instead of Exxon-Mobil. That's a good plan and it has some political legs, maybe, (anyway) we'll see."
The Massachusetts School of Law at Andover, producers of "Educational Forum," is purposefully dedicated to providing a rigorous, quality education to students from minority, immigrant, and low-income households who would not otherwise be able to afford to enter the legal profession. Through its publications and broadcast productions it presents information on topics of vital interest to the public. #
(Sherwood Ross is a media consultant to MSLAW. Reach him at Email address removed).
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