Energy Efficiency is Possible Now! We Can Do This!

We CAN do this people! It’s not as hard as you think.

Energy efficiency now Pt1
Robert Pollin, Professor of Economics & PERI Co-director:

Massive investment in energy efficiency and public transport can drive economy.

I don’t think it’s even necessary for us to believe–that it’s necessarily true–that what the majority of climate scientists are telling us is true. It’s enough that they say it’s true, even if it’s not true. Because that means we have a non-trivial threat of ecological catastrophe. Even if it doesn’t necessarily have to happen, it could happen and so therefore we have to take urgent action to dramatically reduce GHG emissions throughout the world.

NOTE: The above statement “it could happen,” is what angers me so when I hear the lies from industry [see: Fossil fuel industry knew global warming could not be refuted] and self-serving politicians that confuse conservatives. How can anyone with any moral conscious take a look around at what we are doing to this planet and not say: We can’t take the risk of destroying this planet for our children? It’s unconscionably selfish. (It will be the mothers who stop this.)

We need massive short-term investments in energy efficiency.
We need government subsidies for clean, renewable energy.
Yet we have Pickens lobbying our Congressional members with his Natural Gas Act that will provide huge giveaways for natural gas development and infrastructure, which means more destruction of private property and our planet and more toxins released into our environment. Once Pickens has his infrastructure in place to deliver natural gas to our vehicles, watch the price skyrocket.

Energy efficiency now Part 2

Pollin:

Double the number of buses and make them affordable will drive Detroit and the green economy

Going 1 mile in a bus produces 1/2 the GHG emissions as going 1 mile in a car and the cost is 1/2. Double the number of buses so taking a bus will be more convenient.

We have to think seriously about A)Seriously restricting fossil fuel emissions…

Energy efficiency now Part 3
Pollin:

For developing countries going green doesn’t mean slowing growth

Re: Cap and Trade:

All of the models, by the way–not mine, but I’m gonna talk about all of the models, without exception–that have estimated the impact of a Cap & Trade type measure–that is the measure that insists on reducing the level of GHG emissions per level of economic activity–every single one of them has shown that there is no discernible negative impact on economic growth. ALL OF THEM, including the most conservative business groups like the American Council of Capital Formation, have been unable to show in their models–now in their headlines they say this is a disaster for growth, but when you actually read the models, that’s not what the models say. The models say it has almost no impact on growth.

He thinks the Kerry/Boxer C&T bill is too weak, has too many loopholes and won’t do enough to help “climate change” (the weaker term for what’s really happening, Global Warming). He likes Senator Cantwell’s “tougher” new bill, Cap & Dividend much better because it will help the working people.