Tuesday morning while listening to NPR on my drive to work I heard a story about global warming that piqued my interest.  A small think tank in Oakland, California, the Breakthrough Institute, is attempting to reshape public opinion of global warming by reshaping the message that surrounds the issue.

I’m always looking for new ways to tell a story (hey, I’m in marketing), so I’m keen to the institute’s idea.  What they propose is to present global warming as an economic opportunity, rather than a pollution problem requiring federal regulation.

The institute postures that so long as the culprit, carbon dioxide, is cast as pollution that needs to be controlled, our efforts to steer in the direction of a cleaner, carbon-reduced future will be an uphill battle.

Hmmm… interesting. I’m listening…

Theoretically, regulation should force companies to develop better and cleaner alternatives, but Michael Shellenberger of the institute raises the question, “when was the last time human beings modernized energy sources by making older power sources more expensive? Of course, by now you probably know that the answer is never.”  He continues with, “Personal computers didn't take off because there was a tax on typewriters. And the Internet didn't sprout up because the government made telegraphs more expensive.”

So what to do?

According to the institute, what we need is a serious investment in clean technology – to increase federal energy research “tenfold” and “to create a project akin to the Apollo mission to the moon.”   As of yet, this is not exactly a popular idea.   But we can all do our part by choosing clean energy.  We can enroll in green power programs, and whenever possible we can invest in our own renewable energy systems for our homes and businesses.  We do have a choice and we can make a difference.  The hardest part just might be changing our minds.

For some intelligent (and really funny)  insight into the issue of Carbon Dioxide and Global Warming, follow the penguins above.  (Watch them all if you can, but if you have only a few minutes, I recommend Episode 5)