The Green Apollo

Engineering can play a critical role as public messenger as we all climb atop our green Apollo rocket.  The message engineers should be giving is that energy efficiency must to be our stage one rocket.  It has been demonstrated that businesses, governments, and society as a whole can shrink environmental footprints while maintaining and even increasing our economic well-being.  The assumption that burning less oil and coal will mean higher prices, fewer jobs, and lower living standards has long been the heart of the argument against cutting greenhouse gas emissions.  This is a myth.

Energy efficiency is one of the highest-return and lowest-risk investments in the whole economy.  Let me state this again - - Energy efficiency is one of the highest-return and lowest-risk investments in the whole economy.  Dow Chemical has saved $9 billion by investing $1 billion in energy efficiency.  DuPont made billions by cutting its greenhouse-gas emissions 72 percent during 1990-2004, and is now expanding that cut by another 15 percent.

Because energy efficiency is so lucrative, it should be the cornerstone of Green Apollo programs the world over - - even in developing countries.