Are you witnessing exciting progress in green technologies? By Julie Peller Ph.D.

Green Junction

Earth Day celebrations began in 1970 on April 22nd in the United States. At that time, the country had few regulatory protections addressing polluting industries, sewage emissions, toxic dumps, chemical pollutants, wildlife/species loss, and much more. The first decade of work by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), established in 1970, was marked by bipartisan cooperation and the creation of numerous environmental policies to protect human health and the environment.

Laws that limit pollution and environmental destruction are critical for a healthy environment and also for economic well-being. A recent Gallup poll probed people’s satisfaction levels with the quality of the environment in the United States. Over the past decade, a greater percentage of people reported being somewhat or very dissatisfied with environmental quality. Another question asked whether the government was doing enough to protect the environment, and most respondents said it was not. They also reported that the environment was worsening.

Studies have assessed the coexistence of economic growth and environmental protection. Author Daniel Susskind wrote the book “Growth,” in which he argued that economic policy trade-offs are necessary to protect the environment and are a fundamental moral requirement. Rapid industrialization and growth (the Industrial Revolution) have relied on high material consumption, largely without regard for environmental consequences. Outcomes have included deforestation, destructive mining, industrial emissions, habitat devastation, climate change, and much more. Susskind suggested that the right technological progress can take place without further consumption/reduction of natural resources.

We are witnessing exciting progress in green technologies and a simultaneous elevation in personal awareness of environmental sustainability. New technologies must be linked to social responsibility and a commitment to circular-economy principles that view resources as valuable and worth reusing/refurbishing, and recycling. If society and its leaders pave a responsible path toward clean technologies and other sustainable actions that protect our shared world (Our Common Home), everyone will benefit and might begin to feel satisfied.

Julie Peller, Ph.D., is an environmental chemist (Professor of Chemistry at Valparaiso University). She has been writing a weekly column, The Green Junction, for the past seven years and is helping to move the call of Laudato Si to action. Her research interests include advanced oxidation for aqueous solutions, water quality analyses, emerging contaminants, air quality analyses, challenges along the Lake Michigan shoreline (such as Cladophora, water, and sediment contaminants), and student and citizen participation in environmental work.