Hope for Correcting Our Collective Myopia

by Kim, February 25, 2009 at 11:14am

The State of the Union was, as expected, heavy on the economic talk. In the NYT's Dot Earth Blog yesterday, Andrew C. Revkin asks the question ‘Macromyopia’ for Finance, Now for the Planet? Macromyopia, in case you haven't heard, is the "short-term gains were prized over long-term prosperity," the President referred to last night. A tendency that seems to be at the root of America's financial planning or lack thereof.  One of Revkin's commenters, Sailesh Rao, asked,

It is a great question, and there is som hope because it is progress to hear "economy" and "environment" increasingly mentioned in the same breath. Yet I can't help but think that -it is a peculiarly American sense of having the stuffing knocked out of us that the economic crisis has brought. It makes the nation as a whole feel taken down a notch with every point the Dow falls or every financial institution that fails. I thinkthat is why President Obama said, "As we stand at this crossroads of history, the eyes of all people in all nations are once again upon us - watching to see what we do with this moment; waiting for us to lead." Because for the first time in awhile the US is feeling more uncertainty than bravado, and I believe it is a good sign, a sign that the myopia our country has had about its financial system, and perhaps the environment, are turning to some much-needed introspection.

It may be painful right now, but I hope that taking an honest look at where we are may lead to some of the actual change our environment and our country need so badly.