The Economic and Energy Crisis are One

Over the last days at the Clinton Global Initiative the resounding message is that the economic and climate crisis are intrinsically linked. The speakers are shouting it to the rafters. Even the pending presidential candidates are in agreement. The climate crisis may finally have its day in the sun if it continues to shine.

The same or similar faulty assumptions underscore our current economic polemic. The messengers are now heads of state outside the US, CEO's of global Fortune 100 companies, leading NGOs and the bright minds of this convening. It is no longer conceived as the terrain of tree huggers, or those barefoot guys smoking ganja. Solving the climate crisis is a matter of economic stability and national security. It is at the center of the debate for poverty, draught, famine, and disease control. Investment in renewable and alternatives create jobs. Jobs revive the economy and stem poverty. If poverty ceases, the seduction of terrorism falters and disease spread can be controlled. Medicines and treatments can be made available. Schooling can educate those afflicted out of poverty.

It is a vicious cycle that if not stopped will continue to repeat itself. So take a stand like former Vice President Al Gore.

He is back to save us from ourselves. Yesterday, we heard the worlds civil disobedience come from his mouth. It got everyone to take a breath, look up and stop for a moment. Al, you are our soul and conscience. Please don't limit your remarks to the youth of this country. Keep inspiring every person to rise up, peacefully raise their voices against the atrocities of clean coal, and banish all of shams of the fossil fuel lobbies. If we had only listened to you during your Administration, we would have been part of a global consortium. Or if we had even listened last year when you were here you called for a Global Marshall Plan to alleviate the climate crisis.

Well it's another year and our species is now at stake. It gets more desperate every year. The US has not taken leadership globally in regulation or innovation. If we get it right, it will feed us all and alleviate the ills of this country and the world. We cannot continue to dump tons of CO2 into our atmosphere every day without regulation. We must invest in the smart US grid. The arcane one that we use costs us over $120B a year to operate and it cannot do its job. We do not have the infrastructure domestically or globally, and we cannot exist under any further illusions. Now finally we cannot afford to ignore the climate crisis because of its direct link to the unprecedented decline of the US and possibly the global economies.

And if we don't take action, we may be taking our directives from India and China. Yep, check out Suzlon Energy and their widely successful wind energy models all over India and Asia. They've got it right and we should be able to get it right. We must put a price on carbon. We must provide incentives and we must prevent our policymakers in Congress from making naïve decisions that are not based on science.

Hear the words of our great Al Gore, rally and listen.

Comments

[veracitatus]

As the tragedy of these global issues unfolds it is becoming clear to more people that the problems are systemic. The interconnections are sometimes subtle (as between the current financial fiasco and the energy crisis) and sometimes blatant (as between the use of energy and global warming).

What is needed in order to both understand these connections and solve the problems is a new framework of thinking about the whole. We still have not quite figured this out in the economic and political spheres. Your belief that if 'we just do...(fill in the blank)' we will recover our glorious materialistic civilization is in need of revision.

Question Everything
http://questioneverything.typepad.com/

[Michelle Kraus - Huffpost Blogger]

It is not about recovering "our glorious materialistic civilization." Rather it is about the survival of our species as we now know it. No water, no food, no people. Yes, I do agree that we need a new framework because it is such a complex set of issues. Renewable projects will falter without the re-build of the grid and that's a project that may take a decade. Stay tuned.

[Michale32086]

I will stand ready to act as Al Gore wants us to act when Al Gore starts acting as Al Gore wants us to act..

Gore raised $300 million dollars...

Since Gore is convinced that the question of Human Caused Global Warming (Yet The Planet Is Cooling) is "settled" you would have thought that Gore would use that $300 million to actually DO something worthwhile for the planet..

You would have thought wrong..

Gore states that the time for discussion is past, yet Gore used that $300 million for more talking.. So, rather than actually HELP the planet ($300 million would pay for 30 THOUSAND Solar Power Systems for 30 THOUSAND homes) Gore used that $300 million to make ad agencies and Al Gore richer...

Richard Branson put up $1.5 BILLION towards environmental causes. Now, that 1.5 billion COULD purchase 75 THOUSAND Hybrid vehicles that could be used in a "trade in" program thereby eliminating 75 THOUSAND gas guzzling pollution causing vehicles from our roadways.. But did Branson do that?? Nope.. Branson gave that 1.5 BILLION to Branson....

Ya know, if the likes of Gore and Branson are making all this money and are using it JUST to make the likes of Gore and Branson richer.... I am really hard pressed to believe ANYTHING coming out of their mouths with regards to the "imminent emergency" or anything else for that matter.

Come talk to me when the hysterical environmentalists start practicing what they are preaching..

Michale.....

[Nahnmon]

Suzlon is a wind turbine manufacturer. Not a solar panel provider.

[Michelle Kraus - Huffpost Blogger]

I stand corrected. Thank you.