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All of the Above and What Matters Above All
The Democrats recently announced they plan to bring the energy debate back to their corner when they return from recess next week. They, too, will embrace an "All of the Above" strategy. But is it focused on what truly matters when it comes to energy policy in 2008?
By Alisha Fowler, Breakthrough Institute The Republicans have been pounding the Democrats on energy policy so far this summer, effectively adopting an "All of the Above" approach (at least in terms of their messaging) to solving our energy price woes. The Democrats' responses, on the other hand, have failed to frame the debate on their terms, instead offering scattered solutions and saying "no!" to the Republicans' plans. The Democrats, however, announced they plan to take back the debate as they return from recess next week and head into the fall. According to Congressman Markey (D-MA), they will deploy a counter-strategy capable of doing "a political reverse takedown on the Republicans." The Democrats will test the Republicans with their own "All of the Above" strategy that will embrace offshore drilling as it calls for a renewable energy mandate, energy-efficiency measures for buildings, and oil industry tax provisions. As the Republicans chew on that, I also have to wonder if the Democrats are really paying attention, once again, to what truly matters when it comes to energy policy in 2008. Continue reading "All of the Above and What Matters Above All" » David Wheeler Gets It Right, but Not Exactly
Wheeler's report is important because it identifies the real barriers to passing legislation focused on regulating carbon emissions in order to address climate change. However, greens and environmentalists are looking through rose-tinted glasses if they think the fight to pass this type of legislation is anything but steep, even steeper than it is made out to be in Wheeler's work.
David Wheeler at the Center for Global Development published an econometric analysis of the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act's failure in Congress just a few months ago. The report, entitled, "Why Lieberman-Warner Failed," is an analysis of the June 6th cloture vote to end debate and the variables that could most easily predict each senator's individual yea or nay on whether to bring the bill to a vote over authorization. I read through the analysis and conclusions and overall found a mixed bag with some good conclusions about what is impeding climate legislation, but that underestimated the uphill struggle market-based carbon-regulation legislation would face. The bulk of the paper is an analysis of the cloture vote, which failed to get its necessary 60 votes by a dozen, while 16 senators were not in senate to vote. Wheeler uses variables such as a state's proportion of power from fossil fuels, median state per capita income, senator's degree of political conservatism, senator's party affiliation, senator's gender, energy sector campaign contributions, and degree of risk from climate change-related disasters to see if any of these variables could predict with accuracy the senator's vote for or against cloture. Continue reading "David Wheeler Gets It Right, but Not Exactly" » A National Innovation Deficit
Add another voice to the cacophony of warnings about our national innovation deficit.
Add another voice to the cacophony of warnings about our national innovation deficit. The Sunday Times profiled Judy Estrin, a Silicon Valley veteran who has spent her entire career working in technology and innovation. Estrin is worried about the country's future competitiveness in technology: Carl Pope Breaks With Traditional Climate Agenda
"I actually think if we deal with global warming in a way which raises people's energy bills, we will have blown it," Pope said. Pope's comment represents a larger awakening among environmentalists to the realities of energy and global warming politics.
Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club, said on a "Politics of Green" panel discussion this week in Denver that climate policy aimed at increasing energy bills is critically flawed: "I actually think if we deal with global warming in a way which raises people's energy bills, we will have blown it." You can watch it here: Continue reading "Carl Pope Breaks With Traditional Climate Agenda" » Invest in America
Four years ago we argued in "The Death of Environmentalism" that greens didn't need to win the debate over the relative seriousness of global warming in order to enact policies capable of dealing with it. At the time, that claim was viewed as paradoxical and even heretical.
Breakthrough founders Michael Shellenberger & Ted Nordhaus have been engaged in a discussion at Cato Unbound on what to do about climate change. The lead essay, written by conservative libertarian Jim Manzi, argues that global warming, while real, is a problem of limited magnitude, deserving a proportional response, not overreaction. Coverage of the debate here. by Michael Shellenberger & Ted Nordhaus News Roundup: The Many Sides of Al Gore
Despite his dual passions for technology and the environment, Gore has been slow to embrace investment in technology as a solution to the climate challenge.
Al Gore has been a leader both technology development and the struggle to raise consciousness about global warming. His visionary support for the Internet paved the way for its commercialization; his award-winning film, An Inconvenient Truth, raised national consciousness about global warming to a new level. And yet despite his dual passions, Gore has been slow to embrace investment in technology as a solution to the climate challenge. In the past, he's been heavy on the doomsday rhetoric, emphasizing "sacrifice" as a solution to global warming. But Gore's thinking on the issue may be evolving -- in a landmark speech in the summer of 2008, he called for large public investments in clean energy. Who will win out -- Google Gore or Gaia Gore? Breakthrough's coverage of the many sides of Al Gore: Continue reading "News Roundup: The Many Sides of Al Gore" » Arguing Both Sides at Climate Progress
Those guys at Climate Progress seem to want things both ways -- the analysis in our article is both "debunked" and an authority. Maybe Joe Romm should set the record straight?
by Roger Pielke, Jr. I haven't engaged much with Joe Romm of late, but I can't let this one pass. When Tom Wigley, Chris Green and I published our analysis of the spontaneous emissions reductions built into all IPCC scenarios (PDF), Joe Romm put up a post titled: "Why did Nature run Pielke's pointless, misleading, embarrassing nonsense?" Go To Them: New Energy Jobs and the Populism We Need
It's not just about framing--"new energy jobs" are the best and only shot at bringing down the political impasse between America and the energy policy it needs.
By Keith Brower Brown, Breakthrough Generation The effort to pass a sensible climate and energy policy is not working. I don't just mean we're not getting the right content in legislation--whether it's trading or taxing or new investment. I want to face facts: right now there isn't serious political support, or even interest, for an "energy bill" with climate change solutions at its heart. Not from most Democrats in Congress, and not from the vast majority of Americans, whose support is desperately needed by us climate and clean energy advocates. This can be our crucial moment--a point of deep popular unrest over energy hikes and economic decline. In the self-righteous furor of "drill here, now" and in the sparring over loafers and houses, we see a political establishment desperate to connect with a distrustful electorate. At this sudden crossroads, both we and the defenders of the fossil economy have an incredible opportunity to define the way ahead. So now, we can't spend one more day still trying to convince 41% of America to come to our 10% side. We have to go to them, and meet them where they're at. Continue reading "Go To Them: New Energy Jobs and the Populism We Need" » Both Parties' Conventions Put the Spotlight on Energy
Energy is the number one issue of the 2008 presidential election and it is taking center stage at both parties' conventions this week and next. Republicans have been able to effectively capture this issue and run with it, bringing the American people with them and leaving Democrats in the dust. It is not, however, game over for Democrats. The American public is all ears for what the Democrats will say at their convention this week, and if they find the right message they will garner significant voter support.
By Alisha Fowler, Breakthrough Generation Breaking news! Energy is still the number one issue of the 2008 presidential election and it is taking center stage at both parties' conventions this week and next. So far this election season, Republicans have been able to effectively capture this issue and run with it, bringing the American people with them and leaving Democrats in the dust. The Republicans are winning an energy debate set entirely on their terms. They have been enjoying the strong voter support that accompanies an "all of the above" energy strategy, even if their message is only full of empty promises. Democrats, conversely, have been entirely left behind as they have struggled to find their voice in the debate and been hammered for being unable to restrain energy prices. Continue reading "Both Parties' Conventions Put the Spotlight on Energy" » A Pivotal Moment
With Americans focused on energy prices as never before, a game-changing shift is occurring in the American political climate. The time has come for climate and clean energy advocates to adopt a new strategy and policy agenda. Next year will see the inauguration of a new president, a new Congress, and a new international agreement on global warming. The moment is far too urgent to fall on our swords for a cap-and-trade agenda developed in an entirely different political environment.
There's one thing at the top of Americans' minds these days: energy prices. Prices at the pump have been hitting Americans hard for months now, and an overwhelming majority (87%) do not foresee things getting any better before the end of the year. As of June, concern for energy prices eclipsed the Iraq War as #2 on the Gallup monthly poll
of top American concerns (just behind concerns over the ailing
economy). And as Republicans and Democrats enter their conventions still sparring over oil drilling, energy is now the #1 election issue.
All of this paints a very clear picture of where Americans are at: they are focused on their pocketbooks, grimacing every time they head to the gas station to fill 'er up. This new focus on energy prices is a game changer for the world of energy and climate policy. | |
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