The Economy Vs. The Environment

President Obama's recent decision to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline has spurred a heated political debate surrounding the creation of jobs and the protection of the environment. I understand that our economy is suffering and the pipeline will no doubt create jobs, but at what cost? The environment seems to always take the back burner, especially when the economy is suffering. Environmental issues don't provide the instant gratification that most Americans crave. Even though projects and solutions that are good for the environment are better in the long run in terms of both cost and return on investment, they tend to cost more upfront, which doesn't sit well with a lot of people: We want instant results at the cheapest price. With the advancement of technology, at times it seems that we humans are invincible. Environmental impacts aren't in the forefront of everyone's mind. It's often forgotten that we need the natural world to survive. We need clean air to breathe and we need clean water to drink and we need food to eat. And where does all that come from?

Back to the pipeline, the State Department estimates only 5,000 to 6,000 jobs were to be created during the construction of the pipeline, not the original claim by TransCanada of 20,000 jobs. This is only for a couple of years, then the majority of those people who don't stay on to maintain and operate the pipeline will be out of a job. Instant gratification with no long term effects of job creation. And what about the environmental impacts? Not only will ecosystems be destroyed and habitats be fragmented, but what about our dependence on fossil fuels? What if the pipeline leaks and there's an oil spill? How much will that cost to clean up? How many more animals will be harmed and habitats destroyed? How much more can we pollute our water? Why don't we come up with a sustainable solution by turning to renewable energy that creates jobs and helps to curb carbon emissions at the same time? It would be logical to think about the future.

We are a technologically advanced nation, and we have accomplished so much so far. Let's use that intelligence and innovation to create something that's more sustainable. Things have changed and times have changed since the Industrial Revolution. We have an exponentially growing population that needs to be sustained. We can't keep living the way we're living. We can't keep consuming without replenishing. We have to evolve. Finding local solutions to local problems needs to be in the forefront of decisions. We can't keep looking at other faraway regions for our solutions. We can't build a canal from the Great Lakes to water lawns in Phoenix, AZ. That's just utterly ridiculous. Why should we consider piping oil from Canada to be refined in the Gulf Coast to then be distributed throughout the entire country? Think about all the fossil fuels consumed in that process. Why should we even be shipping oil from the Middle East to be to be guzzled by Hummers? It's insane, really. Think about it. Logically. We need to start thinking smaller, not bigger. We need to become sustainable.