Al Gore gave a speech last week that created big headlines. Why? He called for a renewable-energy revolution—a “zero carbon” electricity system by 2018. Bold? Yes. Achievable? It’s going to be very tough. The American Enterprise Institute criticized the plan as being technically and practically impossible. Shifting from old energy to clean energy would be “an ecological disaster,” the Huffington Post said, since it would do nothing to change America’s appetite for energy and conspicuous consumption.
I applaud Mr. Gore for his ambitious remarks. If we look back in history, what other similar types of statements could we point to? Well, let’s see, there was President Kennedy expressing his desire to see a man land on the moon before the 1960’s were out. We can check that one off the list. Oh, and then there was President Reagan in the 1980’s demanding the USSR to “tear down this wall”, referring to the Berlin Wall of course. What happened a few years later? That’s right, the wall came down. Of course, greenhouse gasses and climate change are very different animals – and extremely complex. But, think about it - all human achievement is really based on two things: the perspiration….and the inspiration. That’s where Mr. Gore comes in. We NEED leadership on this issue.
But, of course, we need to be cautious as we move forward. This notion of course comes from the biofuel issue, which so far has proven that a new source of energy can bring unanticipated consequences. A plan needs to be in place. The Renewable electricity effort is too important not to have everyone moving in the same direction, with a sound strategy.
What’s the problem with renewable energy in the U.S. up to this point? The regulatory issues—Congress renews subsidies for a year or two at a time, and hasn’t yet this year. The alternative energy industry doesn’t like that; it slows down investment and makes them question government support. So, that needs to be addressed.
The point here is that someone is providing leadership on this issue. His name is Al Gore: An unlikely name for any leadership post ten years ago, but now the only person who is saying what needs to be said and providing a vision for the future of greenhouse gas management and climate change. There will, of course, be practical and political problems along the way, but for any progress to occur, it’s critically important to put the goal out there in order to get people to think about it. |
