While the current state of the economy has led some to wonder if we should bother defining "jobs" at all, others remain bullish on the traditional employment opportunities afforded by environmental sustainability, and the ambitions associated with colour green.
Government backing on this new frontier remain the subject of uncertainty, though. The cost of stimulus programs for clean energy businesses has been the subject of much recent political wrangling in the U.S. The recent bankruptcy of Solyndra, a solar panel manufacturer supported with $535 million in funding, is being pointed to as opponents as reason enough to drive Barack Obama out of office.
Meanwhile, efforts by Premier Dalton McGuinty to lure Samsung's solar panel plants to Ontario have become a target for his Conservative opponents in the provincial election.
The ambitions related to green tech might start with personal technology, though. Companies like Apple are increasingly being asked to step up their game with solar power — even if that's a technically tricky thing to do. But as enthusiasm for saving the planet has been eclipsed by enthusiasm for mobile devices, proponents of sustainability have to find a new hook to rouse public passion, and turn environmental gloom into hope.
Google just recently disclosed details about its energy consumption, as it increases investment in green projects and technologies, in the effort to reassure the world that all the daily clicks aren't contributing to the expiration of the planet.
The discussion will focus on whether all the optimism that surrounds sustainability has peaked — or if an understanding of its potential is just getting started.
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Corporate involvement in green standards.
One positive influence of Corporations, who obviously do have an incentive to control terminology and the debate - and abuse the commons as much as possible such as it doesnt hurt their bottom line (through unhealthier workers, bad PR, govt pressure, etc), is that they can put pressure on governments to have regulations enacted and enforced in other jurisdictions. No point in engaging in CO2 reductions at home when competitors abroad are pumping out as much as they want.
The building of gigantic - but empty - Chinese cities is a huge blight on CO2 accountability. This is a large part of what is keeping the Chinese economy afloat - but has a giant environmental impact. What's the point of me recycling a couple cartons a week when entire 40 storey condos are going up with no inhabitants in them?
Glut of Chinese cities
This is where corporate pressures from large multinationals can spur governments to transmit it to other nations. Where citizenry cannot get organized enough or find enough reason to care, corporations can do the cold calculus and see the damage it causes them, spurring them to action.
One other response to the international-sized issue of climate change however is to think more locally. Concentrating on "selfish activism' to serve the self in a more immediate fashion can still reap benefits for the community - and allow them to become used to thinking about environmental issues and personal benefit as an incentive mechanism. Vehicle pollution - especially from poorly tuned diesel vehicles - accounts for a major risk of heart attacks for those living near major roadways (inhaled particulate gets into the blood and irritates arteries, causing inflamation and encouraging plaques). Action on these types of issues would naturally dovetail into larger concerns, and I think is a largely untapped source of citizen action.