Energy Biz - March/April 2008 - (Page 6) » OUR TakE let Them Debate Picture 700 American mayors of all backgrounds. They have felt compelled to reach far beyond their responsibilities of fixing potholes and policing their communities to signal their support of the Kyoto agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions. They have felt the urgency of embracing an agreement to combat global warming that the Senate and the current occupant of the White House have ignored. You can almost smell the smoke of the raging grassroots wildfire. A number of prominent chief executive officers of electric utilities in the past two years have told me that regardless of their position on the science of global warming they recognize it has now become an unstoppable political force. Given that political reality, you would think America is engaged in a full-throated debate on the future of energy policy. Guess again. Polls show energy way down the list of priorities for Martin Rosenberg American voters. That has got to be wrong, doesn’t it? We are fighting a war in Iraq, many would contend, Electing a president in these times of turmoil should involve because of our long-term, swooning addiction to cheap more than whether you would like to have a beer with him or oil. It wasn’t so many years ago when millions of citizens whether she tears up at an appropriate juncture. What do were plunged into prolonged power outages in the they think about hydrogen-powered cars, converting the solar Northeast and in California. How do we power our Southwest into a national electricsociety? Surely that is a question generation center, pursuing fusion, that needs some serious attention. yOu arE inviTED TO rEaD My BLOg EvEry FriDay aT developing clean coal and building a Into the relative national silence www.energyblogs.com/rosenberg smart grid? If they can talk intelligently about energy policy — and a host about these matters, hoist a beer with of other pressing science-related their American buddies and get lachrymose when called for, issues — has come an Internet-fueled petition campaign then we are talking about someone with presidential qualities. to demand that presidential candidates meet to debate Millions of jobs can be created making our economy the many pressing scientific issues confronting us. more energy-lean. Billions of dollars of national wealth Energy policy and climate change are on the list. The can be created pursuing new high-tech energy technoloeffort, called Science Debate 2008, has attracted more gies. So, what next, candidates? Talk long and hard about than 10,000 supporters, including university presidents, these questions and maybe you can educate the rest of Nobel Prize winners, corporate leaders, magazine us. Maybe you can demonstrate leadership. editors and prestigious organizations like the American Voters, readers, if you agree that anyone who Association for the Advancement of Science. That aspires to lead our nation next year should be able association recently reported that by some yardsticks, to craft and implement a meaningful energy policy, America is in full retreat as a technological power. consider joining the growing army of those calling for a “Federal funding of research in the physical sciences, as presidential science debate. a percentage of gross domestic product, was 45 percent less in fiscal year 2004 than in FY 1976.” One prominent backer of the science debate effort, filmmaker Shawn Lawrence Otto, explained, “… by 2010, 90 percent of all scientists and engineers will live in Asia.” What will our next president do about that? She wants that question put to candidates on national television for all to see. Surely, Sens. Clinton, McCain and Obama should be offering serious, reasoned policy responses to such JOin a cOMMuniTy OF BLOggErs DaiLy aT www.energyblogs.com disturbing trends. Picture 700 AmericAn cities. 6 E n E rgyB i z March/April 2008 http://www.energyblogs.com/rosenberg http://www.energyblogs.com
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