Secretary of Energy Steven Chu says in his testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that the U.S. should strive to be at the forefront of energy technology development. (0:19)
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) says in his testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that a lack of action to prevent climate change could cause severe problems for both the environment and U.S. security. (0:27)
Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) says during a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing that Congress needs to pass climate change legislation and that the Kerry-Boxer bill will help the economy. (0:34)
By Leah Valencia, University of New Mexico- Talk Radio News Service
Senators faced off over the cost of the Kerry-Boxer climate change bill Tuesday when co-author Sen. John Kerry testified that he believed although the legislation would increase energy costs, a lack of action would cause worse problems for the environment and U.S. security.
“Are there some costs? Yes sir, there are some costs,” said Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in his testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “[But] none of them factor in the cost of doing nothing.”
However, some Republican members were not so willing to brush aside the prospect of higher energy costs.
“Cap and trade is very expensive. This is something the American people can’t tolerate and I don’t think they will,” said Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the committee’s ranking member.
The Clean Energy Jobs And American Power act seeks to reduce greenhouse emissions by 20 percent within the next decade.
Kerry added that working to reduce dependency on fossil fuels would allow the U.S. to be a leader in developing new technologies, and thus creating new jobs.
“America’s leadership is on the line here,” Kerry said.
White House Officials agreed with Kerry’s assertion during their testimonies before the committee.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu warned that if the U.S. does not act fast to be on the forefront of developing green technologies, other countries would.
Many committee members, including some Democrats like Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), questioned the feasibility of the ambitious bill.
David Doniger, former EPA climate change director under President Bill Clinton, says Americans are at a consensus on climate change. Doniger says that is why legislation such as the Waxman-Markey and Kerry-Boxer bills are currently on the table.
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Barbara Finamore of the Natural Resources Defense Council says the United States is in a great position, if ready, to take advantage of China’s new green technology market.
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Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service
U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) wants to see 100 new nuclear power plants built within the next 20 years. Alexander spoke to 200 conservationists today at a forum hosted by conservative think tank Resources For The Future.
“I believe that what Americans should most fear about nuclear power is [that] the rest of world will use it to create low-cost, carbon-free electricity while [America], who invented the technology, will not,” said Alexander. “Within twenty years a new energy sprawl will consume an area larger than that of Nebraska… The unintended consequences from using renewable energy to mitigate climate change could damage the environment in the name of saving the environment.”
The United States has not built a nuclear power plant since 1990. Alexander said that future climate legislation should include details on optimum nuclear power plant site utilization and resources for low-carbon or carbon-free energy production.
Alexander said he does not have legislation prepared, but is asking for someone to take charge. “Two words: Presidential leadership. The president went to New York, to the UN climate change summit where he lectured other countries for not doing enough, when [other countries] are building nuclear power plants, when the U.S. hasn’t built one in thirty years,” he said.
Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Duke Energy David Mohler says Friday in a discussion at the Woodrow WIlson Center that China is developing so rapidly that it will be the trail blazer in technologies that deal with climate change. (0:17)
Former Vice President Al Gore Wednesday cited the absence of political will as a significant roadblock to fighting climate change, noting that while business leaders and citizens are willing to confront the issue, politicians are not.
“We do not have that much time,” Gore said during a discussion held by the Clinton Global Initiative on innovation. “We have to put a price on carbon directly or indirectly.”
Gore, who has attended thirty summits since penning “An Inconvenient Truth,” explained that Americans are currently releasing ninety million tons of carbon into atmosphere without acknowledging the impact.
The Vice President touched upon the upcoming climate change conference in Copenhagen, stating that it was very important for the U.S. to secure a deal, even if it isn’t initially perfect.
Securing this deal will be the responsibility of President Barack Obama, who Gore contends needs to aggressively urge the Senate to unite behind combatting climate change.
Gore warned that if unchecked, climate change will present a growing threat, claiming that food production can be slashed by half in some African countries coupled with decreased soil fertility.
In closing, Gore called upon the international community to embrace sustainable capitalism.
The Vice President was joined by a number of leading environmental experts.
Muhammad Yunus, Founder of the Grameen Bank, stressed the importance of spreading businesses that work for a concrete social objective. Yunus mentioned that there is already some progress being made by food companies, but suggested that social businesses should tackle medical problems plaguing countries like the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
Jack Ma of the Alibaba Group discussed innovation in China. According to Ma, the future of Chinese industry lies in privately owned countries, such as the smaller “garage companies” started by his organization.
The Rockefeller Foundation’s Judith Rodin explained how innovation on a global level is becoming easier to track. According to Rodin, innovation has as systematic set of processes. Some of these processes such as user innovation and crowd thinking can be applied to social situations. Rodin also suggested collaborative competitions where competitors post their solution.
Rodin called for a business environment where companies can take risks and even fail. She also noted that the foundation is slated to launch an impact-investing network.
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) says that since manufacturing industry is an integral part of the U.S. economy, if threats posed to the industry by the American Clean Air and Security Act are not handled correctly, it could lead to economic decline. (0:12)
