Get Energy Smart! NOW!

As noted in McCain DisDain for being truthful, the townhall debate actually fostered some good questions. And, for the first time in the Presidential debates and far more pointedly than has occurred in any traditional TV situation, Ingrid Jackson asked a pointed question on climate change (video):

Sen. McCain, I want to know, we saw that Congress moved pretty fast in the face of an economic crisis. I want to know what you would do within the first two years to make sure that Congress moves fast as far as environmental issues, like climate change and green jobs?

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Examining the World Bank’s investment portfolio (pdf), one could be excused for thinking that the Bank is somehow part of the global warming denier branch of the flat-earth society and does not believe that climate change is the critical issue facing the globe.

Relying exclusively on the World Bank’s own figures, our analysis shows World Bank Group lending to coal, oil and gas is up 94% from 2007, reaching over $3 billion. Coal lending alone has increased an astonishing 256% in the last year.

Note to Bank leaders: coal is not a climate-friendly option.

In the face of triple-digit increases in fossil-fuel funding, renewable energy and energy efficiency project funding went up less significantly: 87% but most of that went to the traditional hydropower systems.

Only $476 million went this year to support “new renewables”. That represents only a 13% increase over last year’s $421 million, according to the Bank’s own numbers.

Sigh. Being on the wrong side of smart energy policy has too long been a World Bank tradition, a tradition that the WB leadership seems hesistant to abandon.

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This evening’s ‘town hall’ debate actually merits a kudo, amid its problems: there were actually serious questions about energy and global warming, including a direction mention of green jobs.

In the debate, Barack Obama consistently reiterated that energy is a top-tier issue, linking it to financial, environmental, and international security challenges. Obama spoke of energy in holistic terms, speaking from individuals to nation/globe, about producing power and seeking energy efficiency, about … Obama sounded like he understood what he was talking about and that he has a plan for solving multiple problems at the same time when it comes to energy.

John McCain also emphasized energy, but his comments were filled with incomplete, disingenuous, and non-truthful elements continuing a sad tradition by both John McCain and Sarah Palin.

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Hurricane Ike created significant damage ashore, disrupted oil production and refining, caused gasoline shortages in areas of the southeast, and there are still many missing people. A not much reported, amid the financial meltdown, are the quite significant Hurricane Ike’s environmental impact, sadly, damage that will be around for years to come.

Remember how those supporting drillusion have consistently lied in false claims that there were not oil spills during Hurricane Katrina. Have to wonder what they will say in coming months about Ike?

Hurricane Ike’s winds and massive waves destroyed oil platforms, tossed storage tanks and punctured pipelines. The environmental damage only now is becoming apparent: At least a half million gallons of crude oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico and the marshes, bayous and bays of Louisiana and Texas,

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T Boone Pickens continues his hard sell efforts when it comes to the flawed Pickens’ Plan. Yesterday, a bipartisan group of bloggers had a teleconference with T Boone. (Notably, this is just when a rush of advertisements are appearing across the blogosphere from T Boone.) If one listens through ‘the call’, several points might jump out:

1. The bloggers seem have an uneven understanding of energy issues based on their comments and questions. In fact, the “right wing” bloggers seem to have basically no knowledge of energy issues. From the “left”, several of the bloggers have legitimate claims to be energy/environmental experts, including Jerome a Paris, Devilstower, Plutonium Page, and Lowell Feld.

2. At the end of the day, T Boone Pickens was able to get away with half-truths and untruths in the session.

This was part of T Boone’s promotion of an “e-rally” to be held before and after the Presidential debate this evening, with Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope joining him, to seek to influence the national debate toward T Boone’s problem filled plan.

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While much of the nation will be glued to their televisions for the second debate between Barack Obama and John McCain, other things will be happening. For example, in McLean, Virginia, there will be an open house about “Green Choice$”. This informational session will give local residents a chance to learn about how they “can conserve energy without breaking the bank” just prior to the minimalist Virginia action re energy efficiency of a sales tax holiday.

“Often, small changes in one’s lifestyle can add up to big changes in our efforts to save the environment,” said Rob Jackson, president of McLean Citizens Association and one of the forum’s sponsors.

Simply true.

The forum is Tuesday, 7 October, McLean Community Center, from 7 to 9:30 pm. Therea re three basic areas of discussion: energy saving at home; environmental issues; and fostering community commitment to energy conservation.

This is being held just a few days before Virginia’s Sales Tax holiday for energy efficiency, 10-13 October. Spending up to $2,500, on a limited number of energy-related items, will be exempt from sales tax if bought for home / personal use.

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, what is the value of these eight images when pieced together?

A Virginia Republican leader and member of the McCain Virginia leadership team recently wrote an ugly OPED seeking to link every shallow form of ignorant bias in the direction of hating Barack Obama and, well, black Americans. Bobby May, treasurer of Buchanan County Republicans, wrote that he is

listing for your consideration the platform of Barack Hussein Obama as best as I can figure it out after ventining all the hot air, straining out the honey and removing the smelly substance similiar to what the old bull left behind.

This OPED, which should never have been published, is filled with invective and disgust (and disgusting material). When it comes to religion, for example, the distilled platform is supposedly:

Freedom of Religion: Mandatory Black Liberation Theology courses taught in all churches — raise taxes to pay for this mandate. Put Reverand Jeremiah Wright in charge. Condemnation of homosexuality from the pulpit will become a Class 1 felony.

It is hard to figure out what is most outrageous of all this. That a newspaper would choose to publish it or that, in fact, the reality that some people will actually believe some of it.

Why, however, do these pages dedicate to the discussion of energy and global warming issues even raise this piece? Because Bobby May speaks from the heart about energy issues.

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During the Vice Presidential debate, Sarah “Energy Expert” Palin continued to demonstrate either her fundamental ignorance about energy realities or her fervent desire to mislead as many American voters as possible with half-truths and un-truths. We’ll put aside the whole question of Sarah’s dealings with oil companies and the national gas pipeline and the problems of clean-coal discussion at the debate, but lets take a few moments to discuss the implications of Sarah’s various words about “energy independence”. Remember, Sarah reminded us that energy is her subject:

“governor of an energy-producing state, and kind of undo in my own area of expertise, and that’s energy.”

Okay, what did Miss Energy Expert say about energy issues?

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Yesterday, 152 members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on climate principles. The elevator speech:

With four key goals,

1. Reduce emissions to avoid dangerous global warming;
2. Transition America to a clean energy society;
3. Recognize and minimize any economic impacts from global warming legislation; and
4. Aid communities and ecosystems vulnerable to harm from global warming.

Okay, this is not a perfect document (such as targeting US reductions of 15-20% current levels by 2020 and maintaining 80% below 1990 levels by 2050, which are both almost certainly inadequate), as commented on earlier this year. Actaully, it is a troubled document in many ways. But as a base level for conversations, at some point one has to wonder how any thinking individual, who actually pays credence to scientific knowledge, and concerned about the future would not be prepared to sign on to this letter as a minimum baseline for judging future legislation action. In a sane world, this letter would have 435 signatories, with many signing addendum letters calling for far more aggressive action. Sadly, too many still seek to pit environment against economy, failing to recognize that it is economy and environment. Sadly, too many remain committed to the global warming denial wing of the know-nothing branch of the flat-earth society and unwilling to question ideology in the face of scientific knowledge. Sadly …

And, sadly, today the House passed a $700 billion (or so) bill that, even with its tax credits for renewable energy production and other good elements, will likely undermine any capacity to take serious action to tackle the perfect storm of Peak Oil and Global Warming.

Sadly, this is a letter that should have unanimous consent but which faces an uphill battle, even though it clearly does not go far enough to deal with what we face.

A key element of this letter: it is not a silver bullet, one answer to all challenges set of principles. It is thoughtful, seeking to discuss the interactive elements, with efforts to reduce CO2 emissions and efforts to mitigate inevitable impacts for pent-up warming that will hit us (the US) in coming years.

Tip of the hat to Wonkroom and noting Greenpeace’s positive note on its release.

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