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I agree that a course in environmental policy making should be taught in more schools but I would add that I believe it is a higher priority to have university environmental science professors take such a course. I do not think that the majority of these professors have a full understanding of the environmental policy framework in place today.

I think it even more important that Environmental Scientists, and scientists in general, also have several course in basic economics. The lack of understanding of how economies work leads many to pontificate about so-called solutions to perceived problems that many times backfire due to the economic illiteracy of the advocates. Carbon caps and carbon trading schemes being just one glaring example.

"Do you know how a utility works?"

Unfortunately, yes.

I work for a public municipal utility that provides water, sewer, drainage and electrical supply services. What drives our decision making? Rates. Even though our business model recognizes other areas that affect our decision making (like internal business process efficiency, customer satisfaction, training and employee development, regulatory compliance, etc.) in the end it always comes back to financials. Generally, the politicos will talk a good game on environmental issues but if it actually requires that we raise our rates to do something about it, then nothing happens.

This is a cold hard fact that young people who are getting into fields that have direct impacts on the environment need to know. They need to understand how local and regional governments operate so that they can see the structure of local public utilites. Without it they may be technically capable of providing solutions but unable to implement them because they don't know what buttons to push.

"Do you know how a utility works?"

Unfortunately, yes.

I work for a public municipal utility that provides water, sewer, drainage and electrical supply services. What drives our decision making? Rates. Even though our business model recognizes other areas that affect our decision making (like internal business process efficiency, customer satisfaction, training and employee development, regulatory compliance, etc.) in the end it always comes back to financials. Generally, the politicos will talk a good game on environmental issues but if it actually requires that we raise our rates to do something about it, then nothing happens.

This is a cold hard fact that young people who are getting into fields that have direct impacts on the environment need to know. They need to understand how local and regional governments operate so that they can see the structure of local public utilites. Without it they may be technically capable of providing solutions but unable to implement them because they don't know what buttons to push.

I couldn't agree more with your statement "If you don't understand where the choke points and the leverage points are in the system, you can have all the environmental awareness in the world and you're not going to be able to tilt the system." I would love to see some links here...

The environmental studies program at University of Missouri Kansas City requires a class in economics, and also offers environmental politics, so I'll just put that out there.

I will say this however: regardless of knowing which buttons to press, you must have enough fingers to press the buttons. Meaning: awareness and education are the foundation which must be established first to affect meaningful change.

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