The failing economy strikes again. This time the wind and solar power industries are taking a hit. The “go green” campaign has been huge in recent years, with constant reminders to recycle, carpool, save energy. I’ve grown up learning to be conscious of the the environment. To this day, I still remember all the words to the theme song of the 90′s cartoon “Captain Planet.” I learned so many lessons about helping the environment watching that ridiculous cartoon as a child. But how are we supposed to save the planet now that we can’t afford to? Before the economic crisis, wind and solar power were on the rise, and things were looking up with the advent of the environmental-conscious Obama administration. Now the future of wind and solar power is unclear. Banks are no longer willing to fund installations of wind turbines and solar arrays, and many of them sit on the shelves unused. Many jobs are now being put on the line. “The industry now employs about 85,000 people nationwide, up from 50,000 a year ago… unless the economy rebounds soon, there could be a 50 percent drop in projects. That would effectively set the industry back to where it was three years ago” (boston.com).
I hope environmental issues continue to stay in the forefront, despite the credit crisis. Or we could take the easy way out and continue to destroy the earth. I mean, at least we wouldn’t have to deal with the economy anymore.
