How can we strike a balance between protecting the environment and protecting our economy?

Question

Using eco-friendly energy can be expensive.In what way can we go green without ending up in the red(financially)?

@ Harsh:
I hope you are joking.Are you seriously telling me that environment,energy and the economy aren't related?

You need energy to run industries,motor vehicles,lights,household appliances.....all of which have a bearing on the economy.All this energy is being generated at the cost of the environment.

Answer 1

Actually using eco-friendly energy is better in long run. Polluting energy sources have lots of hidden costs in terms of environment,pollution, health impact etc. Also these energy sources were first expensive only today they are "cheap" because of govt. subsidies and no payoffs for other costs.

If we make the polluting energy sources pay for other costs like environmental hazard etc they will be far more expensive.

Solar energy (only the PV panels) are expensive because :
1.They are not mass produced
2. Lower efficiency
3. No subsidy

But even at current consumption rate there has been a steady decline in cost of Solar panels and also Solar water heaters.

Even at non-subsidized cost solar water heaters have a payback period of 4-5 years and a life time of 10-20 years which is pretty good.

The electricity that you get today is highly subsidized and if you were given the actual cost it would be far too expensive the initial infrastructure cost to set up hydel/coal power plants is huge and the govt. funds this from public money also these have operations costs too.

So unless we push eco-friendly energy and bring down its costs its not going to happen. If we continue using the current energy sources a time will come when both the pollution as well as the cost of generating power from existing sources will become un-managable and that time we wont get much chance to survive.

Answer 2

I guess people should understand. The young ones should be aware through education the importance of environment , how it should be protected or the little things each individual could contribute in protecting it until such time when they will be encharge .
Until such time when they have access ......
The elder ones may be aware but could not do anything abut it, but who knows, the yung ones will be very good in this aspect, balancing environment and protecting economy...w3hy not?.....
But somehow, people could make a difference if they will understand fully and be given the chance to communicate with each other about the problems the world is facing....

Answer 3

We can. But the problem is greed and power. Who makes the money and who has the power. The problem with a lot of the environmentally friendly items big business loose a lot of their control.

Consider corn vs kudzu for instance as far as sugar content they are almost identical but you get a harvest at least once a month with kudzu (usually twice a month) where as corn only once every three months. But as I was plainly told if the company develops the process to use kudzu they loose control of the production and who can produce it.

That's one of the big reasons I am now living outside the USA trying to demonstrate many of these processes where I wont get arrested or fined for not getting the multi thousand dollar permits (the big business lobbyist pushed into law) to allow me to develop and demonstrate the processes in the USA. (many of which are dirt simple to produce.)

Another good case is the alcohol hybrid car that some high school kids in California built a while back that had good horsepower and good fuel mileage. Unlike what the professional automakers put out.

So yes we can do it, but not as long as we only worry about how many billions we make (wouldn't 1 or 2 billion rather than 100 billion be enough) and how much control we have.

Answer 4

If people buy only eco friendly products, industry will respond by building more. All industry wants to be more energy efficient, energy savings = increased profits. The problem is the expense of replacing equipment. Eco friendly energy is growing faster than traditional forms of energy and will continue to grow.

Answer 5

If we had a blue planetary government to insure an adequate standard of liveing based on scientific principle's, the amount of contentment-in human's would escalate, and the desire for stuff would decelerate as spiritual principle's, erode the type A personality dominance of capitalism, nationalism, communism, and materialism, all four factor's, make economy's roll out of control, whilst environmental closeness create's such quality's as to harness all other negative's.

Answer 6

unplug your refridgerator and use the least amount of energy as possible
get rid of your car and use the extra money on other sources of energy
buy everything used...much cheaper, not paying for production, advertising, and packaging
go dumpstering in your local healthfood dumpster for fresh produce.....they usually keep their produce seperate from other trash:)
quit buying disposable products...papertowels, toilet paper, tissue etc.....you can buy used recycled fabric and make all of these things and they take up little room in the wash
just quit being a consumer in general

my husband brings in about 1500 a month and supports a family of five.....we make it and put about 400 dollars a month in savings.....in a bucket on the top shelf of our closet.....also, quit watching t.v. all together....this will lower the impulse to be a consumer.....really!

Answer 7

Balance between both forces can never be achieved.

To expand the economy is to destroy the environment.

And once economies have reached their hiatus, it is now time to revive the environment.

Answer 8

During the R&D stage of development plan ahead to integrate either recycled material, efficient materials, inexpensive materials ect.

Answer 9

You have jumbled-up between energy, environment and economy… how are they related…?

Answer 10

this day in age we seriously CANT have a balance untill something extraordinary and life changeing happens to earth..(which is GOING to happen sooner or later)