It is Sunday afternoon, and I am doing what I like to do: listening to public radio. Specifically, a piece by BBC 4’s Roger Harrabin.  This is one more in a deluge of commentaries on the future U.S. President’s positions on climate change, environmental policy and international agreements.  Mr. Harrabin’s episode postulates how the engagement, or lack thereof, by the new administration could effect the global efforts on reducing carbon emissions.  Recall that three of his key appointments — Secretaries of State, Environment and Energy —  may be filled by climate change deniers, if he gets his way.   In the mean time, Mr. Harrabin explains, the Chinese government is quietly, and humbly, positioning itself to be the global leader in clean power technologies.

Say it isn’t so, Joe.

Ahh, but it is.  And good for them. Clearly, if this is really the case, and if history proves this to be true, then my wish to my young Chinese MBA colleagues  will have come true:  learn from the mistakes of America.  To refresh memories, we could look back to the acid rain epidemic in the 1970’s. The manufacturing plants of the U.S. Midwest produced emissions containing sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NO_X).  These compounds when carried along air currents, precipitate out as small particulates (when dry), or combine with the moisture in the air to produce the liquid form most commonly understood as ‘acid rain.’  It took three presidencies to receive recognition, and a fourth to honor our international agreement with Canada regarding pollution (FYI- it was under Ronald Reagan, another climate change skeptic).  In 1980, the U.S. Congress commissioned an 18-year study on the topic under the Acid Deposition Act.  It took another 11 years before a report was issued, and it still doubted the source of the acid rain.  To put this in personal terms, Fish no longer reproduce at a pH lower than 4.  It contributes to your car rusting, and your child’s breathing problems.  In short, it took a very long time for very smart people with a scientific mindset to convince the Executive Branch of Government that acid rain exists, it is an environmental hazard AND we should take positive steps to mitigate, and possibly reverse, its effects.  This is what I hope China has learned from us.  So, don’t wait China: the health of your people cannot afford it, and we will all benefit from leadership in these areas.

In the mean time, Mr. Harrabin asserts, the world is holding its breath on how the U.S. position might change away from its most recent progress at COP 21.  This is a bit dramatic.  Yes, yes, every non-American I know has been wringing their hands, and asking in a whisper: “what do you think will happen?”  His interview with Barry Worthington from the U.S. Energy Association attempted to quell fears and give an American perspective on this question.  Market and social forces, he says, are in place to keep the momentum moving in a positive direction without the need for more regulations. Hans Joachim Schellnhuber of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research reiterated the role of market forces in positive climate change behaviors.  While my observations of America is in alignment with these two gentlemen, the thrust of the piece still seemed pessimistic.

I agree, to some extent, with the comments make by Jennifer Morgan of Green Peace.  I think we can expect a ‘deliberate attack’ from the administration, as Mr. Trump has indicated that he doesn’t believe climate change exists.  He might not participate further in climate change talks, or he might try to rescind current policy, or even ignore international agreements.

This uncertainty in policy and its effects are the ‘wobble’ to which Mr. Harrabin refers.

But even if the attack is a lack of action, or an attempt to rescind current legislation is successful, the effects are too little and too late to have significant negative impact on the U.S. climate change recognition.  Well developed, integrated, grass-roots policy implementation has already established itself within  American Government organizations, their contractors and partners, and in the psyche of the consumers, taxpayers and corporations.  He will not be able to undo all of the progressive policies set out since 1993 which address green house gas goals throughout the government in purchasing, building, training and so on.

Take that, Mr. Trump.

The discussion has become destabilizing for many environmentalists.  It has become a leadership challenge for me to quell these fears.  Because climate change and sustainability professionals outside of the U.S. Government fail to see that what takes much to build in America also takes much to break.  In a phrase:

 I refuse to ‘wobble.’

So, no matter how many folks around me are in a panic about how the President-elect can change U.S. policy on climate change, I  believe that climate change awareness is here to stay.  Our Congress is answerable to the citizens.  Our citizens want the opportunity to improve our climate’s future for the next generation, and claim economic and social benefit from the green revolution. Our civil servants have detailed, established policies and procedures throughout government operations which have goals and mandates attached to them.  Our corporations will continue to innovate in response to market forces, and leverage technological expertise to create financial benefit.  We as a country, and as a culture, are on board the sustainability train, even if it left the station without a few key passengers.

Many of us understand that the rest of the world wants more than our buy-in, it wants our leadership.   World, I urge you: look behind the curtain and find those of us who do this work in America.  Keep asking the questions, but don’t worry too much about the ‘wobble.’

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Climate Change: The Trump Card can be found on BBC Radio 4’s website as a podcast  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b086s95f#play

For more information, try the Environmental Protection Agency’s website at: https://www.epa.gov/acidrain/what-acid-rain

Cartoon courtesy of Bryant Arnold, Dec 11, 2015, and found at http://www.cartoonaday.com/donald-trump-as-darth-vader-cartoon/

 

Perception v. Truth

I suspect no one usually goes out of their way to investigate the truth in the lives and responsibilities of a civil servant.  Often, at least in the U.S. and U.K., caricatures of faceless minions, incompetent drones, or unintelligent, hapless, ineffectual workers who could only be heroically depicted by Arthur Miller are the stereotypes.  Working for government is portrayed as a ‘job’ instead of a calling.  Government is depicted as a machine, with no human or emotional components to it.  When progressive, humane or transformative change happens, it is driven by an outsider who demands it, with the authority to command the change.

This is completely untrue.

I know this to be untrue because I have served my government for many years.  I have experienced employment with the government in many role; I have been a contractor, a co-op student, a civilian and a military reservist. I say ‘served’ because that is what it is—service to the people of America, and the government they validate.  The idea of service is not an unusual one in the part of the U.S. where I was raised. However, there is a distinct difference between work done in service and work that is only employment.  Both can be enormously satisfying, uplifting, and enriching.  Work done in service, however, is work done with the intent to aid another, whether by providing or preserving what is in their best interest.  Civil Service is the special service whereby those appointed are entrusted with securing the interest of the collective.  In the U.S. the collective are her taxpayers, her citizens, her charges, her guests and her treasure.  For me, except for taking religious vows, I can think of no higher calling than to serve my country.  This was the motivation for the first chapter of my service.

Second Chapter: Finding the Power in What I Do

I remain pleasantly surprised that each role I fill has been both empowering and enriching.  Even as a student co-op the work I did made a difference.  Sometimes, however, it could be easy to forget that you make a difference.  As a not quite middle-aged, middle-management engineer anxious to plow forward in her career, one day I lamented the futility of the daily grind which seemed to be bogged down in reading regulations and following through with minutia which was so basic, I believed, that “even a secretary could do it.”  What difference, then, was I making if my skills were so easily substituted?  Was there somewhere else where my talents would be better used?

This was answered by my supervisor one day in his response to my pleas for more challenge in the workplace.  He looked up at me, a very plain, serious look on his face and said, “If this job didn’t need to be done, it wouldn’t exist.”   His message was clear: in both lean and prosperous times, no job is too small.  Even people in more powerful positions need to know how things work.  This very simple premise was proven true repeatedly during the second part of my service.  I watched intently how more senior civilians managed very complex strategic positions.  Each decision informed with experience and knowledge—achieving this level of expertise has been the motivation for the second chapter of my service.

Third Chapter: The Challenges of a New Era

Now I am entering a new phase brought about by the recent election.  I have resisted comment on many new things since November.  This is, in part, because I am a civil servant for the U.S. government.  I have always been keenly aware that it is difficult for people to divorce their perception of a person from their position, and do not want to speak on behalf of any policy makers.  So, here, I make no comment on the incoming administration.   We knew from the outset of this election cycle that those who govern will be different, but our government institutions will remain intact.  This is how our government is structured, and it is a strength to have a peaceful transition.  The institutions will remain the servants to the will of the American people.  They will deliberate with a conscious aim to ensure the best interest of the American people and her treasure.  They will engage the world, and sometimes lead the world.  Behind the scenes, ensuring the integrity of our system, are civil servants who have, like me, dedicated themselves to this service.

So, when asked about what I think will change in the near future, I reply that the world will continue, America will be much as it was, and because of the strength of the processes we have within our institutions, change may not be as drastic as it now seems.  I say this to reassure myself, as well as those who ask.  In reality, the details of future events are unclear and we may discover old assumptions are no longer applicable.  Does this mean that our country will devolve into a state of chaos?  That outcome is unlikely.  What it does mean for people like me is that we must remain vigilant to our duties and loyal to our oaths.  We must remain true to the work we do on behalf of our country, remembering that elections are the success of our system, not the end of it.

So, I remind myself of a quote I read as a young student:

Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.                -Theodore Roosevelt