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January 10, 2006
Innovation and the environment
Yesterday, the OECD released its review of US environmental protection efforts over the past decade (the last review was in 1996). Depending on who you talk to the glass is half full or half empty. According to the EPA, the US is doing a great job: "EPA Press Release: International Panel Concludes U.S. has Improved Environmental Performance":
The United States has significantly improved its environmental performance in the last eight years even as its economy and population have grown substantially, according to a report from the Environmental Performance Review Program of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD).
However, others, such as the Financial Times see the story differently - "US could do better on green issues, OECD concludes":
As other nations increased their energy efficiency further in the face of rising fuel prices, the US risked falling behind in its international competitiveness if it failed to keep up, the report's authors said. Using energy more efficiently would also help to combat climate change.
What the OECD environmental report card for the US actually said was, not surprisingly, more between this two:
A new OECD review of environmental policy in the U.S. recommends more efficient use of energy and water as a way to safeguard economic prosperity while protecting the environment and human health. Despite progress in some areas over the past decade, more effort is needed in others. The OECD recommends that the U.S. play a more proactive role in dealing with global environmental concerns.
What U.S. Ambassador to the OECD, Connie Morella, told me yesterday morning was that innovation was one of the reasons why the US came out as good as it did on the review. Many of those innovations are not new technologies, but management processes. For example, the report's conclusions and recommendations specifically cites Massachusetts's pesticide tax and Oklahoma's tax credit for manure management as innovative economic instruments to reduce water pollution.
Now, manure management may not top the charts when it comes to the sexiest innovations. But given that farm run-off is one of the major sources of water pollution, manure is a major issue.
Other examples include the introduction of ecosystem management approaches for the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay, the Florida Everglades, the Gulf of Mexico and numerous watersheds; introduction of sustainable forestry practices on public lands; and the Government Performance and Results Act which has promoted co-ordination among government programs.
The report does tip its hat to technological innovations. But it real focus (and benefit) is on the management changes that would be useful if we are to continue to make progress. As the OECD press release concludes:
Overall, the OECD report urges the United States to increase the efficiency of its environmental management and energy use, projecting that doing so would yield economic benefits.
Innovative new technology and innovative management techniques -- sounds like the classic winning approach to me.
Posted by Ken Jarboe at January 10, 2006 4:14 PM
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