Being trendy, for better or worse, is a lot of what we´re about as a culture. It´s no different for environmental matters.

 

As we at Waste News looked back at 2006, we saw discussion and actions on global warming as the issue that dominated our pages. Whether it´s states taking matters into their own hands, or people like Sen. James Inhofe arguing that it´s all media hype, it seems like everyone´s debating about what to do on climate change. In another story in this issue clergy are advocating action against global warming such as engaging in a carbon fast for Lent.

 

The activity and even the debate are good things. I just hope the momentum keeps going. Because we don´t have a lot of endurance for these issues, no matter how critical they may be.

 

Remember recycling? It´s certainly a substantial part of our approach to the waste we generate, and the United States recycling rate keeps growing, if incrementally. But the momentum it had in the ´90s when people thought we were running out of landfill space is gone. Cities have been cutting back on programs. Recycling´s still on a burner, but not a front one in most cases.

 

Wind energy is another sexy topic these days. Congress made a rare proactive move recently to extend the wind energy production tax credit before it expires. Wind energy is growing by leaps and bounds, and that´s great. It´s a tremendously clean and renewable energy source.

 

But is that drive going to wane when energy costs fall or a new issue du jour emerges in our society? It shouldn´t, but it´s human nature, or at least the nature of American culture, to lose interest in a difficult problem pretty quickly.

 

I have the same concern about hybrid and alternative fuel cars. Will this prove to be just a passing fad once again?

 

The extent that we´re altering the temperature of the planet is as important an issue as there is. So is how we use the planet´s resources and affect our air with the energy production we need. I hope the people working hard to address these issues are willing to run a marathon, not just a sprint.

 

Allan Gerlat is editor of Waste News. Past installments of this column are collected in the Inbox archive.

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