The United States continues to lag behind leading countries in pushing aggressive environmental programs to reduce pollutants and garbage. Two stories this week highlight the sharp and disappointing contrast. In Sweden, the government has made an incredible leap in reducing household garbage and appears close to attaining the impossible: a zero waste national objective for landfills. Currently, less than one percent of Sweden household garbage ends up in landfills. In the meantime, Germany (which continues to outstrip the U.S. on green policies while continuing strong economic growth) has announced that it will add one million electric cars on the road by 2030 and expects to drop greenhouse emissions from transportation by 26 percent by 2030 from 1990 levels.
Sweden has had astonishing success in reducing landfill waste which is notoriously bad for the environment from residual ground and air pollution as well as the failure to fully recycle trash. The Swedish government has pushed the concept of garbage as a commodity for recycling or fuel production. Swedish families now Produce just 461 kilograms of waste which is slightly below the half-ton European average, but the country does an amazing job in managing the trash.
One of the biggest reasons for the low level of landfill use is a law that I have often spoken about in some countries. In Sweden, producers are responsible for handling all costs related to collection and recycling or disposal of their products. This gives companies an incentive to reduce packaging and increase recycling.
As for Germany, we have previously discussed the incredible achievements of that country in alternative energy sources. Merkel’s government has now announced the plan to have the million electric cars on the road by 2020 and set the 26 percent drop as the goal. Germany is making these achievements while maintaining one of the strongest economies in the world.
These laws of course have the obvious value of not just reducing greenhouse gases but reducing pollution and improving public health. The garbage rules also force greater cost internalization for manufacturers rather than to allow them to simply externalize the costs of packaging and pollution.
Justagurl,
You’re correct, there is really NO excuse for not adopting Europe’s progressive ideas on clean energy. The gas/oil lobby here will not allow it to happen.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-21/beware-the-blades-of-death-world-s-top-serial-bird-killers-.html
Beware the blades of death! The world’s top serial bird killers. Meow.
Solar panels are a great idea. I’m getting them myself. Hopefully I can get them up before the Kochs and ALEC’s lobbyists get my state to decide that I should pay another tax for my trouble. I guess “let the market decide” is only their mantra when it favors them?
Solar panels are a great idea for some applications. We are considering it as well for some small uses,( keeping the 12 volt battery charged up on the dump trailer, powering a water booster pump from cistern storage, powering the lights and electric security gate) and in emergency situations. However, the idea that it is going to pay for itself during our lifetime, in our situation, would be delusional.
The subsidies are just for the big commercial users. When the giant windfarm on a nearby mountain goes on line, they have to shut down the hydro electric plant, because the “grid” can’t handle both at the same time. SO…..we shut down the cheap power, due to the plant being built a long time ago, to bring on the expensive, subsidized wind power that chops up Bald Eagles, Hawks and many other birds. As soon as the subsidies run out we fully expect the wind powered turbines to be abandoned and sit moldering on the top of the mountain, just like the solar farms are being abandoned. No free money and the whole green energy ponzi scheme falls apart.
It doesn’t matter. With the steadily increasing release of Arctic methane, we are going to “reap the whirlwind” no matter what. Too much time time has past.
Darren,
My husband and I are thinking about having solar panels installed on the roof of our barn. We’ve already contacted a company in this area that installs them.
Good to see prof Turley do these, particularly since he has a mix of followers from left and right. We almost passed the point of no return on nuclear weapons testing. Hard to say what the next big threat will be, but we only have one planet. Take your subsidies, Darren, if they are available for you. I’d rather subsidize your solar panels than Haliburton!
And a writer’s view from almost a year ago that appeared in Der Spiegel, titled, “Reality Check: Germany’s Defective Green Energy Game Plan”
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/commentary-why-germany-is-waging-its-green-revolution-wrong-a-929693.html
“All of the wind turbines, rooftop solar panels, hydroelectric and biogas plants in Germany have not reduced CO2 emissions in Europe by a single gram.”
“Germany pretends to be a pioneer in the green revolution. But its massively expensive Energiewende has done nothing to make the environment cleaner or encourage genuine efficiency. One writer argues: Either do it right, or don’t do it at all.”
On average, German consumers pay twice as much for electricity as the average American in large part because the central planners are forcing German consumers to pay rebates to the politically connected providers of uneconomic alternative energy.
http://www.statista.com/statistics/263492/electricity-prices-in-selected-countries/
Well, justagurl. You know that I don’t live in Sweden, but I do have access to information about Sweden and know where it is on the map! For instance it is 173,732 square miles in area. Nevada is 110,567. About the same size as Austria, Hungary and Portugal combined to pick out some random European countries. I picked Nevada because the population density of about 18 people per square mile. Sweden has a population density of 22.5 per square mile. The population density in the county where I live is about 7 people per square mile although there are really areas, miles and miles and miles where NO one lives. None of this is really relevant. So. If we are done comparing apples to oranges, let us talk about garbage reduction.
I like the idea of the States coming up with garbage reduction solutions. I am in favor of the States managing their own business and the Federal Government butting out. So, in theory the States manage their garbage solution. In theory. In reality, it would still be the urban planners coming up with impossible solutions for the rest of the State. Again. People who live in their little protected urban bubbles…like….um….Seattle….have no idea on what would work for those who don’t live in the latte fumed bubble.
Hi Nick … Of course I am doing my part… 🙂
Oh… Dust Bunny Queen … YOU live in Sweden???
See, this is where the states could compete with one another…
See which state comes up with the best solution on garbage reduction…
This makes it is a bit more manageable, being that the USA is so large…
Though, I must say, Europe OVER all beats America in this area, hands down.. and the EU is larger, just as diverse, and wilt a slightly larger population…..
There is NO excuse as to why the USA can’t adopt these strategies…
I presently am looking into the feasibility of having solar panels installed on my house (that is if the study shows it will work for my location). They’re about six thousand to eight thousand to install. But there are several programs such as a thirty percent tax credit from the feds and the utilities have a buy back program to purchase surplus power they make under 10,000 watts. The state department of revenue here offers some incentives to also help in cost defrayment. If I can get the cost down to around to three thousand or less I am going to go for it. It takes some research but it can be done.
People often complain about green energy subsidies. But I will be the first to admit that I intend to milk that cow for everything she’s got if it can make my power bill lower.
@dbq
Yes, the Koch Brothers along with FOX News play the part of Jews for the Liberal storm troopers. They are to blame for the Leftist utopia not working out. Rolling “Koch ” and “FOX” off your lips is sooo much easier than thinking new thoughts.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Sweden is a rather small, geographically, country with a rather homogeneous population. Recycling and waste reduction is a less onerous project in those circumstances. While we can observe and try to adopt some of their policies we need to recognize that a solution in Sweden may not be applicable to the United States which is huge geographically and has ethnic populations that are not even close to being on the same page culturally.
I applaud the method of passing the costs of recycling packaging to the manufacturers which then leads to less wasteful packaging. I abhor those overly packaged products that often require a hacksaw and protective clothing to open without getting yourself cut up. Then you have a big pile of plastic clam shell packaging to dispose of.
What works for recycling in the urban areas is just a big joke in the rural areas. What works for the upper income neighborhoods is also a joke and waste of time for those who can barely afford to buy the products much less have the resources to recycle.
For instance where I am. We do not even HAVE garbage collection in many areas. There is no place within 100 miles to recycle aluminum, plastic, glass. The stuff piles up and up and up if you do plan to recycle you’d better clean and wash it all first.. Big piles of glass, plastic, cans, and other trash that attract vermin and small predators. Then at $4.30 a gallon for gasoline to haul your recyclables to the center in a dump trailer or in the bed of a pick up truck…… and then haul yourself back it just isn’t worth it. So……it all goes to the monthly trip to the dump station which is only 30 miles away!!! Not even the landfill yet, just a place to put the garbage until it is hauled some 300 miles to the landfill.
The rules and regulations and the pie in the sky dreaming is all done by those who live sheltered lives and assume that everyone lives like they do and everyone has the resources that they do. Until the central planners get a grip on reality, none of this is going to work.
Personally, we compost our vegetable matter, burn the paper, cardboard (and sometimes plastic) trash, donate the cans and bottles to the local 4H club….. and everything else goes to the dump station. The charges for dumping old refrigerators, electronic appliances, tires are prohibitive and often they end up out in the forests or in the lava beds. That is the way it is and has zero to do with the Koch Brothers, who seem to be the newest boogey man for the left.
Oil does it better….
currently we privatize the profits & socialize the costs – until that changes we are screwed – – nice to see some countries waking up
If we all adhere to a high protein diet that could significantly cut down on waste. Hey, where’s Samantha? She would have thoughts on this.
Additional evidence that significant reductions in waste and increases in green energy can be achieved on the national level. If you are not beholden to the Koch Brothers.
So will we be too arrogant to learn from these countries? Their health care is better than ours too, a lesson we most assuredly haven’t learned.
Garbage control is a good idea and in the U.S. the Waste Management Co. does some innovative work to deal with the problem, and electric cars might be doable in Europe, but will never be a success in the U.S.
This is encouraging. It would be nice if we had a “No Harm’s Race” instead of an “Arm’s Race” to outdo each other internationally.
JAG is doing her part, I’m certain.