The environmental movement has been a part of the American landscape since the 1960s, but in recent years it has experienced renewed interest from consumers and businesses. These days, measures to "Go Green" provide good PR for just about any business, and it seems as though everyone from car manufacturers to fast food restaurants are touting their efforts to reduce their impact on the environment.
Nearly every major automaker now produces at least one hybrid model, including hybrid SUVs, sports cars and luxury cars, and many cities have converted some or all of their bus fleet to run on natural gas. Meanwhile, grocery stores have made a practice of encouraging customers to bring their own bags, and paper products used as food wrapping and beverage holders advertise their use of unbleached, recycled materials. Some stores and restaurants have taken waste reduction a step further by using "plastic" bags and containers that are actually made from compostable corn fibers.
But has it made a difference? Have all these hybrid vehicles and reusable bags had any impact on the biggest environmental challenges we face as a country and a planet?
To get a real understanding of any effects of the Green movement, it's important to look at how current conditions compare to those of previous decades, particularly the 1990s, a period marked by relative economic prosperity and, for most consumers and businesses, minimal concern for the environment. By looking at environmental trends over the past twenty years and beyond, we can draw some conclusions about whether recent changes in perspective have translated into changes in results.
Fossil Fuel Consumption and Carbon Emissions
The burning of fossil fuels, primarily petroleum products and coal, results in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), CO2 emissions account for the largest output of greenhouse gases, and consequently are the single largest contributing factor to the phenomenon of global warming (Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990 - 2009 p. 1, lines 17-20). Fossil fuels are the United States' primary source of fuel and electricity.
Between the years of 1990 and 2009 the output of CO2 emissions from fossil fuels in the United States rose by nearly ten percent (Ibid, p.1 line 19). The largest increases occurred between the years of 1990 and 2000, with an average annual increase of 1.4 percent per year (U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions in 2009).
The years 2000 - 2009, by contrast, were marked by a decline in greenhouse emissions, with an average annual decrease of .9 percent between the years of 2000 and 2009. In 2009 energy-related CO2 emissions fell by an unprecedented 7 percent. While this decrease did not return CO2 emissions to their pre-1990s levels, it did mark the single largest decrease of CO2 emissions to occur within the course of a year since the EPA began collecting emissions data in 1949 (Ibid).
The 2009 decline in CO2 output resulted from a combination of decreased fuel consumption and increased use of alternative, cleaner-burning fuels, particularly natural gas. The largest decreases in fuel consumption were observed in the industrial and transportation sectors, while smaller decreases occurred in residential and commercial sectors.
Contributing Factors
The economy has played a major role in the reduction of CO2 emissions. Traditionally, an economic downturn is accompanied by a decline in gross domestic product (GDP) growth; the slowed rate of manufacturing and industry results in a corresponding decrease in carbon emissions.
But the economic turbulence of the past decade has affected fossil fuel consumption in more complex ways as well. Rising gas prices, particularly the 2008 spike, have caused many drivers to seek alternative forms of transportation and to reevaluate the importance of fuel economy in their vehicles. Between the years of 2007 and 2009 the consumption of petroleum-based fuel fell by 7 percent while the average gas mileage in the United States improved from 27 miles per gallon (MPG) in 2008 to 28.5 MPG in 2009. (U. S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions in 2009).
Further evidence of a fundamental shift in the way Americans regard fuel economy can be found in data collected by the 2009 Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save (CARS) program, which aided consumers in trading in vehicles with low gas mileage toward the purchase or lease of newer, more fuel-efficient models. Roughly 66 percent of vehicles traded in under this program were SUVs and light trucks, while passenger cars accounted for nearly 60 percent of vehicles purchased. The average fuel economy of vehicles traded was 15.7 MPG while the average fuel economy of vehicles purchased was just shy of 25 MPG (CARS Report to Congress, 2009).
Consumer participation in the CARS program so exceeded initial expectations that some car dealerships struggled to meet demand. The strong response to the program suggests that even after gas prices stabilized following the 2008 spike, fuel economy remains a top priority for car buyers, particularly compared to considerations such as size and luxury.
Finally, the high cost of coal and petroleum products and the falling cost of natural gas have resulted in increased reliance on natural gas and a decreased demand for fossil fuels. Emissions from electricity generation were particularly affected by the increased use of natural gas. While natural gas is not CO2-free, it produces significantly fewer emissions than traditional fossil fuels and is a more efficient source of electricity. 2009 also saw an increase in the use of nuclear power and renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power (U. S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions in 2009).
Waste Production
Waste production - the amount of trash disposed of by residential and commercial sources - is another major environmental concern often addressed in efforts to Go Green. Recycling is probably the most popular method of reducing waste output. Other methods include composting, reusing and the use of biodegradable materials in place of materials like plastic, which can take decades if not centuries to decompose.
Efforts in the United States to reduce waste production have yielded mixed results. The amount of total waste generated has steadily increased since 1960. It is only very recently, between the years of 2007 and 2009, that any decrease was observed in overall waste generation in the United States.
But while Americans generate more waste today than they did fifty years ago, much more of that waste is being recycled rather than sent to landfills. In 1960 the vast majority of solid waste went to the dump; only about 6 percent was recovered through recycling. In 2009, by contrast, the percentage of waste disposed of in landfills had shrunk to around 54 percent, with a recovery rate of 33.8 percent ( Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 2009 Facts and Figures).
Contributing Factors
Once again, the economy is a major factor in waste disposal trends, and the decreases in overall waste production in 2008 and 2009 reflect a a longstanding trend of decreased waste production during recession years.
Beginning in the 1990s, legislative measures on local, regional and state levels have played a role in reducing yard waste disposed of to landfills; today, roughly half the population is affected by restrictions on yard waste disposal. The drastic increase in recycling over the last fifty years is due largely to the widespread expansion of curbside recycling programs, which currently serve 71 percent of the United States population.
Recently, efforts have been made toward implementing single-stream curbside programs in which consumers no longer have to sort their recyclables; in 2007 roughly 50 percent of curbside recycling programs were single-stream programs. (Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 2009 Facts and Figures).
Conclusion
Over the past ten years, people and businesses looking to participate in the Green trend have operated primarily within traditional frameworks such as recycling and energy conservation. While these efforts help, their effects probably aren't reflected by environmental statistics in any tangible way. Major strides toward reducing the United States' environmental impact have resulted from advances in technology, such as those which harness renewable energy sources and allow for easier extraction of natural gas.
Moreover, the adoption of environmentally-friendly technology is usually motivated by economic rather than environmental concerns, and it's difficult to say whether the reduction in CO2 and solid waste output that took place between 2000 and 2009 would have occurred without an economic downturn. Fortunately for the planet, green technology is fast becoming the more affordable option in both the short and long term.
The most important result of the past decade's Green craze is probably a heightened nation-wide awareness of how our actions impact the environment. It's a process of baby-steps, but more and more people are accepting the reality of the environmental challenges we face and the steps we as individuals can take to help. Additionally, the Green trend has made environmentalism a selling point for businesses who might not have been motivated to seek out environmentally-friendly options otherwise.
Real change, however, doesn't come from reusable shopping bags or unplugged electronics; it comes from alternative technologies. It's important that everyone does his part, but the people who will really make a difference are the creative minds behind these technologies, the lawmakers who promote them and the passionate activists who lobby for resources to develop them.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Transportation. Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act of 2009: Report to Congress. December, 2009.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration. U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions in 2009: A Retrospective Review. May, 2010.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 2009 Facts and Figures. EPA/530-R-10-012. December 2010.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Trends in Greenhouse Gas Emissions": Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2009. 2011.
Leslie McIntyre - Leslie McIntyre earned her BA in Writing, Literature and Publishing from Emerson College in 2009. Her work has appeared in Northeast ...
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