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Washington,
April 9 – Energy Secretary Steven Chu warned the
National Conference of State Legislatures’ Spring Forum Thursday that “We
will live in a carbon-constrained world.” One consequence of rising
temperatures, he said, is that “food production in the U.S. will be at risk.”
How temperatures are changing - from Energy Secretary Chu’s PowerPoint presentation.
Sec.
Chu predicted that climate-change constraints will increase because “the full
effects of what we’ve done today won’t be felt for at least 100 years” as the
world’s oceans gradually warm – and warned that the immediate impacts could
surge if thawing Arctic tundra triggers a “runaway effect” created by a burst
of carbon emissions.
Along
with his dire forecasts, Dr. Chu had good news: thanks to its research and
manufacturing advantages, the U.S.
could re-capture the green technology lead from China
if the U.S.
re-writes its energy and environmental policies ASAP – starting with putting a
cap on carbon emissions. Pointing out that “Investment flows toward
opportunities for profit,” Chu said the U.S.
has a choice: make the policy changes which will create clean-energy investment
here in the U.S., or see
this investment continuing to flow instead to countries like China, Germany
and Spain
which have made the needed policy changes already.
Chu
said the U.S. needs to wake
up to the fact that “China
is leading in the new industrial revolution.” As an example of how far ahead
China is, he contrasted America’s high-speed Acela trains running at 80 MPH
with China’s high-speed trains hitting 220 MPH.
As
an example of what is being done already at state level, Chu
pointed to state and local building codes which provide incentives for
energy-saving weatherization. He said states with strong building codes already
are both creating new green jobs and reducing energy costs for homes and
businesses through weatherization projects which provide a one-year payback. In
contrast, he said, he’s talked to officials in other states such as the
Dakotas, Wyoming and Kansas
who claim their lack of building codes is a “states’ rights issue” – which Chu called instead a “right to waste money.”
Chu said that until Congress passes legislation to create
changes such as a carbon cap and a national Renewable Electricity Standard,
investment money will remain “on the sidelines,” with needed infrastructure
such as energy storage and high-voltage, long-distance, smart-grid transmission
systems postponed. He noted that while the U.S.
continues to postpone action, “China
is spending $9 billion a month on clean energy.”
How the U.S.A. has lost the lead - from Energy Secretary Chu’s PowerPoint presentation.
Combining
the good and bad news, Chu concluded that:
- “In order to avoid the chance
that we pass ‘tipping points,’ climate scientists are calling for more
aggressive action.”
- “We will need a new
industrial revolution to mitigate climate change and to decrease our
dependency on foreign oil.”
-
“The United States has the
opportunity to be the innovation leader.”
- “To achieve our clean energy
goals, we need rapid, large-scale deployment of technology.”
- “Technology deployment
requires investment.”
- “Investment flows toward
opportunities for profit.”
- “Market opportunities are
structured by policy.”
- “The most important policy
that will stimulate innovation is a declining cap on carbon emissions.”
-
“America still has the
opportunity to lead the world in a new industrial revolution and secure
our future prosperity, but time is running out.”
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