Climate change progress hinges on massive changes in behavior from both public and private sectors

While 2022 brought historic legislation to address climate change, the year’s end showed us why such investment is needed. The year ended with widespread infrastructure and organizational failures as blizzards trapped people in their homes and cars, many freezing to death. Rolling blackouts were common throughout the Southeast and travelers were trapped for days in airports around the country. The question remains: Can we deploy this massive, once-in-a-generation investment effectively and efficiently to address the climate challenge?

Doing so depends upon a set of actors and systems that are not necessarily ready for the task, and a public that needs to shift its own thinking about government, private industry and the use of taxpayer dollars. It is easy to use tax dollars to build new things — which we taxpayers generally embrace, but right now we need fewer new things and more investment in updating and modernizing what we already have. These last few weeks have shown us just how fragile our existing systems are.

We need large-scale changes in organizational culture and behavior, both from the private sector and from public agencies, to bring about the transformative societal and technological evolution required to meet this moment. Neither government nor private industry can do this alone. They need each other. Our history with electrification, transportation and sanitation, to name a few, tells us that we can do this. And this time, we can do it without repeating the injustices of the past.

This change begins with taxpayers. So often I hear people say we should treat public agencies like private industry. People who say this are looking for innovative, efficient public agencies that have little waste. But failing to recognize the core differences between public agencies and private industry lays the groundwork for large-scale failure in how we manage and implement this extraordinary investment.

One critical and core difference between public agencies and private industry is their objectives. Public agencies serve the public good; they aren’t driven by profit, like private industry is. This difference isn’t a bad thing. It means the mission and work of public agencies are consistently sustained, not subject to the fickle trends of the market or the frequently shifting whims of the political environment, but it also means that the flexibility we see in private industry is difficult to replicate in public agencies.

In private industry, leaders can more easily upgrade aged infrastructure and practices without a lot of push back from their boards or investors. The public agency? Taxpayers aren’t so gracious. We don’t get excited about upgrading existing power lines to carry larger loads of solar produced energy. We like to see new construction and demand stringent accountability from our public agencies. We expect the output that comes from modern, flexible public agencies with a young, innovative and highly skilled workforce, all without growing “big government” or offering competitive salaries. We rarely believe increasing public employee salaries is a good use of taxpayer dollars and then fail to make the connection when we have public agencies that are understaffed.

Most importantly, private industry is innovative in large part because failure is not a bad thing. Private industry has embraced the concept of “failing up” to the great benefit to us all. But public agencies? One failure, perceived as a misuse of taxpayer dollars, can be a career-ending proposition for many in public agency leadership. This doesn’t create the modern, flexible environment that taxpayers say they want from their public agencies. It is time we, as taxpayers, check ourselves in how we view the public agency and how we treat public employees. Public agencies need to be allowed to adopt some private sector innovations and technologies, along with updates in hiring practices that facilitate the recruitment and retention of our best and brightest.

How do we make this happen? First, legislatures need to fund the modernization of state agencies and infrastructure, and where possible, require cross-agency collaboration and resource sharing so that we can leverage the investments and activities from one agency to serve a whole government approach. Second, the private sector needs to review and reconsider its own practices so they can be partners in good faith to public agencies. Proprietary products make it extraordinarily difficult for public agencies to maintain or upgrade current systems, particularly after the providing company goes out of business. And finally, none of these changes happen without taxpayer demand.

As taxpayers, we should push our legislators and public agency leadership to adopt modern practices and technologies developed by private industry. As consumers, we should be pushing private industry to become partners in good faith with public agencies. When the next disaster hits, we want our communities to be more resilient and to recover quickly. To do so, we need modern infrastructure powered by diverse energy sources, modern technology systems that ease access to government services, and effective partnerships between government, private industries and communities. Every day, week or month that we spend lingering in the recovery period brings with it significant and long-term impacts to the financial health and physical, mental and emotional well-being of individuals and communities.

This is our moment. To meet this moment, we need modernized systems to connect our citizens easily and effectively with public services, we need public-private partnerships to incentivize and leverage innovation — and we need to evolve our own thinking about the roles of each.

Ashley Ward is a senior policy associate at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability.

106 Comments

  11. A comparison of the acid inhibitory effects of esomeprazole and pantoprazole in relation to pharmacokinetics and CYP2C19 polymorphism will viagra make you last longer Symptoms of asthma and COPD include trouble breathing, wheezing, and cough

  13. What side effects can this medication cause? Top 100 Searched Drugs.
    stromectol for sale
    Best and news about drug. Get warning information here.

  14. Learn about the side effects, dosages, and interactions. Best and news about drug.
    buy stromectol uk
    Get here. Comprehensive side effect and adverse reaction information.

  16. Journal of clinical oncology official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 34 10, 1079 86 best price cialis It is high time we take back our planet once and for all from the oligarchic corporatocracy bent on insidiously making our earthly home increasingly uninhabitable for all life forms

  18. Some are medicines that help people when doctors prescribe. Best and news about drug.
    stromectol coronavirus
    Best and news about drug. Read information now.

  19. Definitive journal of drugs and therapeutics. Cautions.
    stromectol cost
    Some are medicines that help people when doctors prescribe. Get warning information here.

  20. Some are medicines that help people when doctors prescribe. Read here.
    https://stromectolst.com/# ivermectin 3mg tablets
    Actual trends of drug. Definitive journal of drugs and therapeutics.

  22. Commonly Used Drugs Charts. Everything information about medication.
    ivermectin new zealand
    Cautions. Everything information about medication.

  24. safe and effective drugs are available. Everything about medicine.
    ivermectin 1 topical cream
    Actual trends of drug. What side effects can this medication cause?

  26. drug information and news for professionals and consumers. Drugs information sheet.
    purchase ivermectin
    Medicament prescribing information. All trends of medicament.

  27. Best and news about drug. drug information and news for professionals and consumers.
    ivermectin uk coronavirus
    Everything about medicine. drug information and news for professionals and consumers.

  28. Everything information about medication. Commonly Used Drugs Charts.
    generic stromectol
    Get warning information here. Medscape Drugs & Diseases.

  30. Everything information about medication. drug information and news for professionals and consumers.
    generic ivermectin cream
    Generic Name. Get information now.

  33. Everything information about medication. Read information now.
    https://nexium.top/# where buy nexium
    Top 100 Searched Drugs. Prescription Drug Information, Interactions & Side.

  35. Read information now. Best and news about drug. https://avodart.science/# can i buy cheap avodart without a prescription
    Medscape Drugs & Diseases. Get warning information here.

  36. Learn about the side effects, dosages, and interactions. drug information and news for professionals and consumers.
    how much is 30 lisinopril
    Get here. Cautions.

  46. Some are medicines that help people when doctors prescribe. Prescription Drug Information, Interactions & Side.
    get generic clomid tablets
    Medscape Drugs & Diseases. All trends of medicament.

  47. Long-Term Effects. Best and news about drug.
    zithromax for sale 500 mg
    п»їMedicament prescribing information. Everything what you want to know about pills.

  54. Long-Term Effects. What side effects can this medication cause? amoxicillin pharmacy price
    Read information now. Prescription Drug Information, Interactions & Side.

  55. Comprehensive side effect and adverse reaction information. Generic Name. https://amoxicillins.online/ amoxicillin 500mg cost
    Everything about medicine. earch our drug database.

  57. п»їMedicament prescribing information. п»їMedicament prescribing information. buying amoxicillin in mexico
    All trends of medicament. Everything information about medication.

  58. Comprehensive side effect and adverse reaction information. Get warning information here.
    https://clomiphenes.com can you get cheap clomid without prescription
    Some are medicines that help people when doctors prescribe. Some are medicines that help people when doctors prescribe.

  59. Cautions. Prescription Drug Information, Interactions & Side.
    clomid buy
    Long-Term Effects. Drug information.

  61. Drugs information sheet. Read information now.
    ed treatment pills
    safe and effective drugs are available. Medscape Drugs & Diseases.

  62. Actual trends of drug. safe and effective drugs are available.
    ed drugs list
    Get here. Learn about the side effects, dosages, and interactions.

  63. Cautions. п»їMedicament prescribing information.
    ed pills gnc
    Read here. Comprehensive side effect and adverse reaction information.

  64. Read information now. What side effects can this medication cause?
    https://edonlinefast.com ed pills comparison
    What side effects can this medication cause? Learn about the side effects, dosages, and interactions.

  67. safe and effective drugs are available. Drugs information sheet.
    https://edonlinefast.com ed pills cheap
    Some are medicines that help people when doctors prescribe. Definitive journal of drugs and therapeutics.

  68. Prescription Drug Information, Interactions & Side. Everything about medicine.
    https://edonlinefast.com top erection pills
    Read now. Definitive journal of drugs and therapeutics.

  69. Comprehensive side effect and adverse reaction information. Best and news about drug.
    canadian pharmacies comparison
    Learn about the side effects, dosages, and interactions. Actual trends of drug.

  72. buy zithromax online research purposes only CD36 Thr92 phosphorylation in melanoma cells is induced by phorbol 12 myristate 13 acetate PMA during protein synthesis and transport through the Golgi 61, and CD36 Ser237 phosphorylation inhibits FA uptake by platelets and intestinal cells

  73. safe and effective drugs are available. Some are medicines that help people when doctors prescribe.
    https://canadianfast.online/# buy canadian drugs
    What side effects can this medication cause? All trends of medicament.

  74. Cautions. Learn about the side effects, dosages, and interactions.
    https://canadianfast.com/# prescription without a doctor’s prescription
    All trends of medicament. Get warning information here.

  76. Medscape Drugs & Diseases. Drugs information sheet.
    https://canadianfast.online/# tadalafil without a doctor’s prescription
    Some are medicines that help people when doctors prescribe. Cautions.

  77. Top 100 Searched Drugs. Learn about the side effects, dosages, and interactions.
    https://canadianfast.com/# online canadian pharmacy
    Medscape Drugs & Diseases. Long-Term Effects.

  80. Everything about medicine. Prescription Drug Information, Interactions & Side.
    https://canadianfast.online/# prescription drugs online
    Read now. Learn about the side effects, dosages, and interactions.

  85. What side effects can this medication cause? Read here.
    online canadian pharmacy
    Get here. Comprehensive side effect and adverse reaction information.

  86. Everything about medicine. Everything what you want to know about pills.
    cocaine and viagra
    п»їMedicament prescribing information. Read here.

  87. Some are medicines that help people when doctors prescribe. Prescription Drug Information, Interactions & Side.
    https://viagrapillsild.com/# sildenafil cost canada
    Definitive journal of drugs and therapeutics. Top 100 Searched Drugs.

  88. п»їMedicament prescribing information. earch our drug database.
    generic viagra 60 pills
    Drugs information sheet. Best and news about drug.

  90. Some are medicines that help people when doctors prescribe. Some are medicines that help people when doctors prescribe.
    generic sildenafil paypal
    Get information now. Actual trends of drug.

  91. Actual trends of drug. Read information now.
    wham 1180 viagra
    Everything information about medication. Read now.

  92. drug information and news for professionals and consumers. Generic Name.
    https://tadalafil1st.com/# cheapest cialis on the web
    п»їMedicament prescribing information. Actual trends of drug.

  93. п»їMedicament prescribing information. Get here.
    cialis online free shipping
    Some are medicines that help people when doctors prescribe. Actual trends of drug.

  97. drug information and news for professionals and consumers. earch our drug database.
    cialis and no prescription
    Read information now. Medscape Drugs & Diseases.

  102. Best and news about drug. Medscape Drugs & Diseases.
    lowest price tadalafil
    Medicament prescribing information. Medscape Drugs & Diseases.

  103. Best and news about drug. Generic Name.

    https://propeciaf.store/ where can i get cheap propecia without prescription
    Read information now. Cautions.

  104. I simply want to say I am just newbie to blogging and site-building and definitely savored this website
    바카라사이트. Very likely I’m planning to bookmark your site .

  106. Prescription Drug Information, Interactions & Side. Read information now.

    where buy generic clomid
    Get warning information here. Some trends of drugs.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *