First let’s start by correcting a common mistake.  It is a common saying that “money is the root of all evil.” According to the Random House Dictionary of Proverbs and Sayings, the phrase first appeared in English circa 1000 A.D. The saying originated in the New Testament. “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” Timothy, 6:10.

It’s the attachment to money, and what that does to people and systems, rather than the money itself, which is the cause of problems.  Money is any ‘token’ of value.  It is a standardized means of exchange of value.  Money is not the value, money in and of itself has no value at all.  It is the willingness of others to accept money in exchange for goods and services that creates its value.

So what has this to do with global warming?  Our society has become myopic in its view that money is the only or the chief measure of value.  This transformation that has occurred in many (but not all) societies over the ages has obscured many more intangible measures of value, such as clean air and water, peace, friendship, and security to mention just a paltry few.

When presented with two alternative, ‘equivalent’ items for purchase, say a standard 18 cu. ft. refrigerator and an Energy Star refrigerator, most consumers will buy the one that costs $100 less rather than the one that will save $1,000 worth of electricity (to say nothing of the CO2 emissions represented by that excess electricity) over the useful lifetime of that appliance.  People are notoriously bad at weighing current vs. future gain or loss.

And when it comes to weighing choices between saving or spending money vs. saving or spending the environment, our entire culture has trained us to take the money and let others worry about the environment.

This must change.  If our civilization is to survive in any reasonable state of sustainability we must re-educate ourselves as to the real function of money and the relatively low value that it has compared to the intangibles of life.  We must learn to value the invisible more highly than we value the visible.

This effort must start with you and with me.  The choices we make and exhibit to the world will be a powerful catalyst for shaping the future.  So stop driving 5 miles extra to buy gasoline for $.10 a gallon less.  Start interrupting those old habits around money and form new, life-serving habits in their place.