Get Energy Smart! NOW!

John McCain’s speech and policy constructs on Global Warming have gotten a bit of attention from the Energy Smart blogging world. The following are few of the worthwhile discussions to date.

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Today, presumptive Republican nominee John McCain will be giving a major speech on Global Warming.  This speech, as with so much of what John McCain says on Global Warming, will contain many great words.  And, in contrast to the obstinate denial of reality by some many in the Republican Party, his direct statements recognizing the reality of Global Warming, that humanity is a driving factor, that this a real threat, and stating that this threat requires real action will be a breath of fresh air and will entice many to believe that McCain’s Straight Talk offers an opportunity for sensible policy moving forward.  And, almost assuredly, the media rapture for ‘Maverick’ McCain will continue with the reporting of this speech, with discussion almost certainly to come about his ‘courage’ and ‘leadership’ in the arena of Global Warming.

This, however, will distort the actual record and distort the actual prospects of the bill of goods that John McCain will attempt to sell when it comes to environmental, global warming, and energy policies.  Sadly, despite any great rhetoric, in this arena McFlip, McFlop McCain would almost certainly remain fundamentally McSame as George Bush when it comes to action re Global Warming.  When it comes to John McCain, his Green Straight Talk Express has proven to be a Dirty Energy Twisted Non-Action and Delay Machine.

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Editor’s Note:  Stranded Wind  brings an intriguing voice, a passion, and interesting perspective to the discussion of the energy and environmental challenges before us. Working to foster innovative approaches, knitting together unusual teams, and bringing a nomad’s perspective to the table are among some of Strand Wind’s unusual and strong attributes. One initiative arena can be found at the website appropriately entitled StrandedWind.  This essay is part Stranded Wind’s WalkAbout series.

Anyone who has the ability to have an internet access has a great many energyslaves at his or her disposal. Seriously, go take a look around your dwelling (you’re not surfing the at work, are you?). A vehicle of some sort, a furnace, an air conditioner, a hot water heater, an stove with oven, lights, entertainment equipment, a computer … starting to get the picture? I became peak oil aware almost a year ago and since then I’ve been mindful of what powers the various devices I use and I’ve made it a point to go into the great outdoors with as little as possible on me, staying a day at a time or more to get back in touch with what it means to live in a world made by hand.

I’ve been doing an extended, lower impact version of this in my time here at farmerchuck’s Revoluntionary War era farmhouse, where many of the modern conveniences simply aren’t present. We’ve been having a good bit of trouble both on the behavior front as well as the fuel supply front so I thought I’d delve into this area from the perspective of a rural smallholding.

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Editor’s note: Here is a guess post from the always informative and insightful Patriot News ClearingHouse. This post makes the important point that there are multiple elements of human agency that have contributed to the extent of human (and otherwise) catastrophe from Cyclone Nargis. And, let us remember, that mangrove swamps/forests do far more than ‘simply’ protect a coastline from storm surges. In any event, over to PDNC …

Source:  Mangrove Cluster on Banks of River

Given the number of deaths caused by the Burma cyclone, one question is what could have been done beforehand to better protect people.  One answer is that we need to stop destroying our natural resources.   Mangroves are natural buffers which decrease the severity of impacts from storms. The destruction of mangroves is a contributing factor to the death toll from the cyclone because people simply did not think of the environmental and human consequences of destroying the natural buffer.  Contrary to WH spin, the mangroves may have provided better protection of human lives than even government warning systems.  [Read more →]

Global Warming Deniers (and their extreme right-wing enablers) are showing their desperation. Rather than continue with simply confusing people with distortion of data (lies, damn lies, statistics, and statistics from Global Warming deniers), we have before us a case of deliberate doctoring of evidence to distort events. For too many in the American right wing, hatred of Al Gore exceeds any ability to or willingness to contemplate reality. Thus, the efforts for the creation of a new “reality” that is more acceptable to the deniers.

As well documented in the WonkRoom, the Business & Media Institutes has made waves with the right wing denial world with a distorted misrepresentation of an Al Gore interview on NPR. The distortion extended to splicing separation pieces of the interview together to create a sentence, comments that Gore never made. Of course, with this being the Right-Wing Sound Machine, the deception didn’t stop with BMI, but went to Drudge, Fox, and other venues.
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Opening the newspaper, turning on the TV, going onto the web, it is hard to avoid the images and messages that $billions can buy. And, $billions are what the fossil fuel industries have available and $billions in profits are what they see as at risk. So, they are funding huge efforts to distort the debate and confuse Americans in ways that will undercut the potential to achieve an Energy Smart future.

The Washington Post published today Oil Lobby Reaches out to Citizens Peeved at the Pump, outlining what the American Petroleum Institute is going to be doing in a “multiyear, multimedia, multimillion-dollar campaign”. What do these efforts include?

Of course, no mention of jobs for politicians’ relatives …

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce continues its deceptive campaign tour to fight any meaningful efforts to deal with Global Warming.

Last week, the USCOC joined up with Senator George Voinovich in Columbus, Ohio, for the session deceptively entitled “Comprehensive Approach to Energy and Climate Change“. From the speech by USCOC President Thomas J. Donohue, he described the USCOC opposition to the Lieberman-Warner Coal-Subsidy Act because:

“its targets and mandates are simply not realistic or achievable.”

I might agree that they are not realistic. Lieberman-Warner’s targets are not realistic because they do not do what is required to give a chance of avoiding catastrophic climate change.

“Not … achievable.” That claim is beyond ridicule and disgust. It is willful deceit. Achieving much stronger reductions that outlined in the CISA is achievable, it simply requires the will (political) to set serious targets and work toward them.

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For several years now, various agencies of the US government have been sponsoring a monthly evening lecture series on energy issues: The Energy Conversation. Held in Crystal City, Virginia, these lectures (conversations?) bring together an eclectic mix of people who generally share a passion about one issue: concerns about the US approach to energy and a desire to see a shift toward more sensible approach toward energy within the United States (and globally).

This Monday’s talk, Gigawatt Renewables with a presentation by John Mizroch, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy.

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The latest news suggests that the Lieberman-Warner Coal Subsidy Act (the Climate InSecurity Act, CISA) has moved from critical condition to the morgue.  As it will require 60 votes to get past any threatened filibuster (not that the Senate Democratic Party leadership could force a filibuster on anyone other than their own Senators fighting for Americans’ privacy rights),  corraling enough Senators to vote for even the CISA’s inadequate measures looks to be an impossible task.  As Joe Romm phrased it at Climate Progress,

Serious climate legislation had been in critical condition for some months.  Doctors and family members finally pulled the plug this week, and the patient appeared to lose all vital signs. The coroner listed the cause of death as “apathy.”

While disagreeing with Joe about whether to call Lieberman-Warner serious or seriously dangerous, apathy in face of ever mounting evidence of the existing damage from Global Warming and looming threats of more damage to come is moving toward reckless endangerment of America’s and humanity’s future prospects.

What is truly sad, truly, is that so much of what is necessary can fall into a no regret strategy, with ‘win-win’ categories. We can ‘geo-engineer’ to a better planetary environment with biochar and white roofing, gaining other benefits at the same time, win-win-win paths.  We can pursue greater energy efficiency, leading toward more comfortable lives while creating good jobs, reducing pollution, and spending less money on energy.  With each day that passes, renewable energy is becoming more cost competitive with fossil fuel energy, even before we discuss making “external” costs internal to the calculation of energy prices.  We can do so much good … even without considering the climate benefits. 

Thus, one hand clapping:  the Coal-Subsidy Act (fundamentally inadequate in face of the threat before us, before the US) seems unlikely to muster enough support to pass.  The hand not clapping:  that it won’t pass because Senators are engaged in reckless endangerment and acting as if it is too strong a measure.

Sigh …

In the face of apathy, angst over the future.

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If there reason for frustration with Democratic Party Senate leadership over messaging when it comes to energy issues, we should be beyond frustration about disastrous Republican substance when it comes to energy. When it comes to oil, the only solution: more supply, drill, drill, drill!!! Putting aside the question as to the sensibility of a supply-side answer in the face of Peak Oil, Global Warming, and rising global demand (can we increase fast enough), let us take a brief look at the linkage between drilling and oil prices.

Additional drilling doesn’t seem to drive lower gasoline prices, does it?
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