As any, or probably every, elementary school student can tell you, today is Earth Day. The remember it for all the recycling and composting projects they participate in, and the bare-knuckled excitement of bike-to-school day.
Thankfully, it's a lot less gripping this year than it was two years ago, when Earth Day was celebrated as the Gulf of Mexico burned.
It was the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history. About 4.4 million barrels of oil gushed from the well, seeping and flowing into wetlands, barrier islands, and beaches of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle.
Unsurprisingly, the residents of that area report some changing views on energy and environmental issues.
The University of New Hampshire conducted a study of residents of Louisiana and Florida, and found that those most directly or acutely affected by the disaster -- which also claimed the lives of 11 rig workers -- were most likely to have changed their views on climate change and environmental protection.
A quarter of those surveyed said they had altered their opinions about climate change or efforts to protect wildlife -- but that rose to 35 percent for those who were economically impacted by the spill. Those "changed views" included a greater concern about rising sea levels from climate change, growing support for a moratorium on deepwater drilling, and increased likeliness to favor renewable energy. Those who had changed their views joined a number of residents who had already worried about sea levels or alternative energy -- for example, now 57 percent of those in Louisiana worry about sea levels rising due to climate change, and 70 percent of those in Florida, where tourism reigns, favor alternative energy sources.
But just because the results are unsurprising doesn't make them at all irrelevant. Because the United States, more than other industrialized nations, approaches energy policy and environmental issues as political football, not as economic or environmental necessities.
In essence, we operate in a climate where some people want progress on cleaner energy sources and renewables investment, some people don't. Some of the latter are likely to change their minds, but only when they are directly financially impacted by an environmental disaster.
It all adds up to some uncertainty. The Pew Charitable Trusts reported that for the first time since 2008, the United States raised more private investment for clean energy initiatives than any other of the world's largest economies. Germany and China generally lead the United States on clean energy programs and investment.
But the growth won't necessarily continue, and could easily stagnate or decline. The report notes that the industry here is a "roller-coaster" because investors and companies have no idea what policies Congress will support from year to year, creating a boom-or-bust situation that China and Germany don't suffer.
We shouldn't have to be so personally affected by a disaster to recognize that we all have much to gain by investing in Earth-friendly energy.
-- Erika Stutzman, for
the Camera editorial board