If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
Saving energy saves consumers money. Less pollution means better public health and cleaner lakes and rivers for all. Why would anyone argue that it's somehow smart to waste energy and money?
Given the domination of our political system by big money in this post-Citizens United world, the question is whether it will be possible for the U.S. government to take the large-scale political actions that are necessary to address climate change.
Trade and investment rules can threaten the environment and the health of communities. Governments must be able to put in place clean energy and other policies that protect communities and the environment without trade rules getting in the way.
Rebuilding a strong middle class and creating a clean-energy economy won't happen by accident. It depends on making the right decisions as a nation. The problem, of course, is that those aren't the decisions that we've been making.
No, Mr. Akin, women do not have a magical ability to suppress a rapist's sperm. No, Mr. Rove, Fox News did not miscall the Ohio vote. And no, climate deniers, climate change is real, happening now, and we've got to address it.
Suppose we were applying biblical theology to the Frankenstorm of this past week: We might say that God listened to the two major candidates for president of the most powerful nation in the world refusing to say the words "climate change" or "global warming" in speeches and debates.
Make no mistake: Like past industrial shifts, from railroads and telephony to airplanes and computers, U.S. leadership in clean tech is not a fait accompli. It will require carefully orchestrated actions. The choice is clearly ours.
Mitt Romney finally unveiled his energy plan, and it came so loaded with fossil fuels, we might as well call it the Jurassic Plan.
At this pace, we will fall well behind the competition -- and forfeit lucrative jobs in the process. What does this mean? Americans run the risk of consigning another generation to low-skill, low-wage jobs -- and higher rates of poverty.
Around the world, countries recognize that renewable energy represents one of the biggest economic opportunities for the global economy. There are some in Washington, however, who think we can't compete with other countries, who think that we have already lost the clean energy race.
In the face of crippling drought across the Corn Belt, Congress is considering funding a disaster aid package with cuts to climate friendly conservation programs.
The fact that Congress is reluctant to curb climate change today doesn't mean there's nothing to learn from Washington when it comes to smart energy policy.
Christians are seeing that climate action is part of Christ's lordship in our lives, even in the midst of hardship and opposition.
Money like that gives the chamber real power, but I believe the American Dream is more powerful. I think most voters will see that real jobs, real growth, and real innovation will do more for their communities than the chamber's obstruction.
The most important long-term dynamic in this sector is falling prices. These price declines are good news for consumers. Yet falling prices are putting manufacturers through a period of turmoil in the United States and elsewhere.
Among us Hispanics nothing defines our ties to nature, to the divine creation better than the amor por el terruño, or loosely translated, our love of country, an often spiritual connection with the land that sees us grow, that nurtures us, that gives us life.
