Page 36 - Sustainable Cities and Communities Design Handbook

The Green Industrial Revolution Chapter j 2 13

the original costs. This 1-year “fix” to balance budgets or justify expenses
is misguided, wasteful, and economically crippling on our children and
grandchildren. Any new funds and resources must be focused on renewable
energy generation and related technologies for storage and waste, transportation,
and related areas. If not, then global political and social tensions will mount
since fossil fuels will become scarce and more expensive.
Our nation can no longer afford more “oil wars”; nor can it continue to deny
that it needs to take a new path. As a nation, Americans must come up with a
national energy policy that makes sense, as the entire country must move rapidly
from the 2IR that dominated the 20th century to the GIR. This transition has
already started in the Europe and Asia, and it may be the “new world order” of
the 21st and 22nd centuries. The 2IR was dependent on fossil fuels, internal
combustion engines along with massive infrastructures to support energy and
transportation. The GIR is focused on using renewable energy to power “smart”
local communities where onsite building-by-building renewable power and
smart grids can monitor to conserve power and increase efficiencies.
Europe, Japan, and South Korea have been in the GIR for the last
2 decades. A large-scale effort is now underway in China. A recent report by
theinternationalthinktanktheClimateGroupfindsthatChinaisrapidlygainingin
the race to become the leader in development of energy technologies. America
definitely has some catching up to do. The sooner it starts the faster it can achieve
the inherent benefits of a sustainable and localized-energy-generated lifestyle that
focuses on sustainable communities while creating new companies, careers, and
areas for employment.
In the 19th century, the United States started to be the leader in the 2IR. By
the end of the 20th century, America was the world leader in innovation and
entrepreneurship, so that by the new millennium (21st century) it was creating
historic advances in computerization and information technology. Now that
distinction as innovator and entrepreneurial dynamo is challenged as the world
seeks leadership in the battle to stop global warming and reverse climate change.
Germany is now the number one producer and installer of solar panels for
homes, offices, and large open areas. Japan is now leading the world in auto
manufacturing since it began making vehicles that are not damaging the
environment and atmosphere. Other nations in the European Union (EU), such as
the Nordic countries and Spain, have been aggressively implementing policies
and programs to become energy independent in 4 decades. And they are
succeeding. See Appendix A for Denmark’s accomplishments. However, unlike
other EU nations, the Danish government is focused both on national policy and
plans and local distributed systems as they move ahead to implement the GIR.

HOW COMMUNITIES AND NATIONS MOVE AHEAD

The place to start is to recognize that there is confusion in the national dialog
as the nation waves good-bye to 2IR and cast its eyes and focus toward GIR.