Infrastructure reform key to ecological advances

Column by Mark Wetherington

As sustainability and numerous other issues falling under the umbrella of environmentalism continue to carry focus of the news media, discerning the values at the heart of the movement becomes more difficult.

It should be expected that such a broad movement, representing persons as ideologically opposite as Sierra Club members and the eco-radicals responsible for arsons at resort developments in the mountains of Colorado, would have fragmentation among its adherents.

Unfortunately, this has led to the dilution of the heartfelt convictions that inspired persons to organize groups dedicated to demanding changes in society. This fact is evident when analyzing mainstream discussions on environmental issues, particularly mountaintop removal and the solutions advocated by many environmental groups.

Perhaps the most fundamental shortcoming in the rhetoric of proponents of “green” energy is their tendency to not condemn the environmentally devastating infrastructure that exists in America with the same fervor that they use in their condemnation of mountaintop removal.

The U.S. Interstate Highway System is composed of almost 50,000 miles of asphalt, tens of thousands of bridges, and countless tunnels and other right-of-ways created by blasting through hillsides and other topographical inconveniences.

The construction was arguably just as violent and disturbing as mountaintop removal, but we are so far removed from its creation and so dependent upon its convenience that we resist criticizing it.

A flurry of Army Corps of Engineers damming projects occurred during this same period of time and in Kentucky alone resulted in the inundation of hundreds of thousands of acres of land along with the eviction of thousands of people from their homes. These projects were without a doubt destructive to landscapes and communities, as is mountaintop removal, but we’ve been conditioned to view them as opportunities for recreation rather than as abominations against nature.

Similar to mountaintop removal, the interstate system was advocated as being necessary for the well-being of the American economy and citizenry, and in many ways it has fulfilled those requirements.  Unfortunately, that fulfillment has drastically altered the landscape of much of the country, negatively affected wildlife and perpetuated America’s addiction to automobiles and suburbs.

Quick and convenient transportation of people and products was valued as being more important than the environmental and cultural impact of the project — just as how cheap energy for consumers and industry is valued by our society more than mountains in central Appalachia.

The opposition to mountaintop removal is certainly justified by the fact that it is an ongoing environmental crisis that can be stopped through legislation and the development of sources of energy other than coal, thus preserving many mountains in their current form.  But by ignoring previous blunders made in the name of progress, we risk making similar mistakes in the future in addition to failing to acknowledge and attempting to correct mistakes made in the past.

Perhaps an effective way to illustrate this point is by examining the myth of the electric car as the ultimate solution to vehicles powered by oil.  The electric car would rely on the same infrastructure as other vehicles, continue to clog up our cities with traffic congestion and allow us to maintain the illusion that we don’t need to live our lives on a more human scale with less separation between home, work and family.

Unless the electricity used to power the car is produced from a renewable source, such as solar, hydroelectric generation or wind power, each of which has significant drawbacks, it is far from “green.”

Believing that anything powered by electricity generated from coal is sustainable is at the pinnacle of absurdity.  Furthermore, the enormous amounts of energy and materials needed to manufacture electric cars raise numerous concerns about the honesty of labeling them as a sustainable alternative.

Ultimately, the bulk of the solution to the environmental problems we face as a planet does not lie in the magic bullet of alternative energy.  It lies in helping ourselves and our children view the earth and its resources with wonder and respect rather than with a mindset of rationality and utilitarianism, which has time and again resulted in ecological catastrophe.

By attempting to understand and respect the power of nature, rather than focusing on our ability to exercise power over it, we will mentally be better prepared to face the challenges that confront our generation.