Don’t expect climate change to get fixed by the governments of the world.  Don’t expect that, however noble in intention, the efforts of Gore, McKibben, Stern, and their many cohorts will succeed either.  Not on any large scale.  It won’t be clean tech or green products saving the day either.

Climate change, like energy scarcity, water pollution, and other serious global issues is merely one symptom of a larger global problem.  Tackle the symptoms individually, and at best you might get lackluster results.  Tackle the source of the problem, and everything attached to it will be positively affected.

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In his CleanTechies Blog post, Tom made a strong case that working on the supply side of sustainable agriculture is important at this stage because demand is strong.  He cited data showing strong consumer interest in locally grown food and their willingness to pay a premium for local produce.  I have seen similar data showing strong consumer interest in green/clean cars, energy, and other consumer products.  Tom’s argument can be made in each of these other industries.  The supply of sustainable transportation options is lacking.  Green energy is not available in sufficient supply.  Opportunities to make products & services more sustainable abound.  Tom and the many others who are working on solutions to the many constraints to sustainability should be commended and encouraged.

While I agree with the bulk of Tom’s post, there are three issues that may make focusing solely on the supply side of “green” a sub-optimal approach.

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