The One Thing That Changes Everything in the Climate Fight
Business is on board
Since the 1970s, environmentalists have always been challenged to justify “the extra costs” of doing the right thing for the environment. When that justification came on a macro scale, the argument turned to who exactly pays. It created an uphill battle. The only people undertaking true environmental stewardship were those whose brands were enhanced by such actions. They could view it as an investment in their reputations of doing the right things. Organic companies, outdoor companies, and selected agribusinesses tended to lead the way. Others continued with efforts to greenwash their businesses, but this again was viewed as an investment in reputation management. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn’t. But one thing was always clear: Doing the right thing by the environment was always more expensive.
Until now.
As David Wallace-Wells described in his October article Beyond Catastrophe: A New Climate Reality Is Coming Into View (published in the New York Times Magazine),
“Since 2010, the cost of solar power and lithium-battery technology has fallen by more than 85 percent, the cost of wind power by more than 55 percent. The International Energy Agency recently predicted that solar power would become “the cheapest source of…
