In the current economic recession, there is no quick fix. Despite the enormous amount of money spent on bailouts, real action must be taken. President-Elect Barack Obama will become the 44^th American President on January 20^th, 2009. While some may see this as a fresh start, Obama will still inherit the countless problems currently facing the American people. In his campaign, his promise of change won him the White House, but in order to create a lasting change in the United States, he needs to fix the economy which relies heavily on the environment.

    Environmental degradation is occurring virtually unchecked, creating expensive problems in an already dismal economy. The United States and the rest of the world are facing, “dangerous effects, many irreversible, including extermination of countless species, ice sheet disintegration and sea-level rise, and intensified regional climate extremes.”[1] The environment is falling apart due to lax regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants in the United States, among other nations. Currently, the federal government has put little emphasis on safeguarding the environment leading to many preventable environmental problems which have expensive consequences. “The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has confirmed a coal waste spill …This is the second coal waste spill at a TVA facility in less than a month… that contaminated water in the Emory and Clinch Rivers and more than 300 acres of nearby land, including dozens of home sites….Coal waste can contain… lead, mercury and arsenic…[that] can leak into soil and water, putting people… at risk for numerous health problems.”[2]  Coal pollution is becoming a common problem in Tennessee. Such pollution problems could be evaded with government safety regulations for pollutants. Instead, spills are becoming more common and are destroying the environment. These coal spills have degraded both water and soil across hundreds of acres. People’s homes have been contaminated and they are at risk for many health problems.  While the high cost of cleaning up the area may partially help their soil, water and subsequent ecosystems recover, it will not include the permanent damage on people’s health and environmental based businesses in the area. Although coal spills are an obvious opponent of environmental health, the average American unknowingly contributes substantially to the environmental problem. Many Americans consume bottled water because they feel that it is cleaner resulting in, “environmental concerns…one research group said plastic bottle production in the U.S. eats up more than 17 million barrels of oil.”[3]  Americans addicted to bottled water will only harm the environment. The plastic is an obvious problem, but another hidden problem is energy required to make the product, resulting in a large amount of fossil fuel use. This further increases the concentration of greenhouse gasses which lead to global warming, creating even more problems. Many of the products preferred by Americans have similar adverse consequences. Pollutants and other forms of environmental destruction contributed by every American will only hurt the economy.

    The current cost of environment destruction is only a sample of the problems that will result if the crisis is not resolved. Investing in the environment today will save a substantial amount of money. “A recent study by two Tufts University economists warns that failure to address global warming now could end up costing $20 trillion a year by the end of the century. Relatively modest spending of $3 trillion annually, the Tufts researchers say, could avoid the worst of climate chaos.”[4]  Prevention is always cheaper than attempting to fix a crisis. However, the other side to this argument is to, “delay under the banner of ‘more research to do’ or ‘let’s wait and see.’ The former argument is …misguided—waiting will take us into territory that is probably very dangerous and it will be very difficult to reverse. Acting now will give us, at a fairly modest cost, a cleaner world and environment.”[5] Despite the critics of the true effect of climate change, there is substantial research that points to a dismal future if nothing is done. On the other hand, use of greener technologies and laws will save nations money in the long run and at an affordable cost.

    Switching to a green economy may help pull the United States out of the recession. Although the Democratic Party tends to favor government and environmental intervention, green businesses still prospered without this aid. “Green investment funds that have been around for at least a year report double-digit gains for the past 12 months. The KDL Global Climate 100 Index, which tracks companies working to offset global warming or its effects, is up nearly 25 percent.”[6] Investors put their money in companies they think will be profitable in the near future. The recent influx of investment money in green businesses points to more green companies in the future, with or without government intervention. However, government intervention may be necessary, due to the current recession. “A $100-billion investment in a green recovery could create 2 million jobs within two years, a good chunk of them in retrofitting, according to a recent University of Massachusetts study.”[7]  Many jobs can be found within new eco-friendly businesses.  Investing in such businesses will create millions of jobs for many out-of-work Americans, putting more money back into their pockets, and further aiding the economy. It will also reduce America’s “dependence on foreign oil [which] strains family budgets, and… saps our economy. Oil money pays for the bombs that go off from Baghdad to Beirut and the bombast of dictators from Caracas to Tehran.”[8] Green energy will save the excessive amounts of money spent on foreign oil, which will instead be put into the American economy. Without oil money from Americans, America’s enemies will be financially limited, while the American economy will prosper.

    An environmental based economy will also create a stronger economy in the future. Carl Pope, Daniel Becker, and Allison Forbes of the Sierra Club, project that in fifty years, “The ingenuity of America’s engineers produced a revolution in clean vehicles and renewable energy captured from the sun, wind, and waves. The United States made money and created new jobs by exporting clean energy and storage technologies to China and India.”[9] While a complete turnaround of the United States economy have been predicted in fifty years, serious changes may occur sooner. The future of a green economy looks bright. The global carbon footprint will be reduced and Americans will have more jobs and more money, creating a sustainable economy and environment for future generations. However, the environmental problems of the day will not fade away without individual involvement. “We need to work together to find and implement innovative solutions to local, national, and global environmental, economic and social problems.”[10] The environmental revolution is currently gaining momentum, but involvement on all levels is needed from the citizens to the leader of all countries. Collectively, the human population has brought the current environmental problems. The population can ban together again and stop the destruction, and in turn, fix the economy.

    President-elect Barack Obama is facing a difficult administration the next four years. However, a change towards a more environmentally-friendly economy could be the answer. A government investment in alternative energy and other green American companies will create more American jobs and help offset the current environmental degradation. Fixing the carbon emissions now as well as other environmental measures will save the American people more money in the long run. In the short term, more jobs will help jumpstart the failing economy and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. Also, more green businesses will be located in the United States, further adding money to the American economy. By helping the planet, Obama will also help the economy. On Barack Obama’s inauguration day, all eyes will be fixed on him and his economic plan. A failure or economic achievement will be remembered forever. It is time to win with a green economy and become an example for other nations.