The environmental recession

For the first time since i've been keeping track of the dow jones industrial average, i saw it drop below the 7,000 point mark. Why do i care about how low it will go? Well...last year i turned 30 years old and i finally decided that i should start caring about my future. In my golden years, i want to be able to travel, and live a comfortable life. So, i decided to start investing into my 401k plan. I went really aggressive and deep. I was putting in 150$ a month and my employer was putting in 4% of my salary. I got really savvy about the market and saw my investments grow. So why am i telling you all this...well, i checked my balance this past weekend, called my financial advisor and after a long intervention i decided not to pull my money out. But i did decide to go more conservative since i had lost 30% in my investments in just a few short months. While this story is happening to many Americans i wondered how else this deep recession is afecting the causes i care about. I saw this article in the NY Times about a potential new pact on global climate change. I was thrilled that Mr. Obama and our government is spearheading these new negotiations on how to deal with global warming. But, i wondered...if we didn't make sweeping change in times of economic prosperity, why should i believe we would make sweeping change during economic hardships? The youtube video (1:30) asks us if we believe the economic recession will further delay environmental advancements. I have to admit, right now, i'm more concerned about my job security, my ever shrinking 401K (which i'm still contributing to but at a reduced monthly amount) and i'm concerned if i'll be able to get aid for school for next year. Going green is NOT cheap and while i care about the long term conditions our planet may face if we don't do anything now, i'm more concerned about the short term effects this poor economy will have directly on me. Is it possible to achieve job growth and a sustainable environmental future at the same time? (image source)