Caroline Calais -- Democracy in Americas

Five trends of 2008 to shape energy- and environmental policy 2009

Add a Comment

December 27, 10:57 AM

by Caroline Calais, Dallas Environmental Policy Examiner

Climate change:

The Washington Post reported yesterday that the United States is facing climate change much more rapidly than earlier expected. The new report issued by U.S Geological Survey finds, for example, that the Antarctic and Greenland in a year loose twice the amount of icecap that exists in the Alps ,or 48 cubic miles, and that global sea levels can rise as much as four feet by 2100. This have huge implications and not only for our nature, for climate change is also a geopolitical problem. In 2001 Russia submitted a claim to the United Nations for 460,000 square miles of arctic water, an area the size of California, Indiana and Texas combined. The claim was denied. But earlier this year Russian scientists planted the national flag on the North Pole’s sea floor, and in the first time since the cold war, strategic bombers flights were ordered over the Atlantic Ocean. 

 Read more in “Russian-scientists place flag on North Pole’s sea floor”. 

The election:

The environment is still a deeply partisan issue. A national telephone survey done by Rasmussen Reports last week found that 61% of democratic voters are prepared to pay more for green good and services, whereas 51% of republican voters said they are unwilling to do so. 

“Is there likely to be a major initiative here in terms of clean energy development? Very much so”, says Howard Learner, executive director of Chicago based Environmental Law and Policy Center. “Is everyone going to be happy with the ultimate decisions? Of course not.”

Read more in “47% of Americans willing to pay for green goods and services”

Energy security:

Similar to what happened in response to the Arab oil embargo in 1973-74 when President Carter put 32 solar panels on the White House roof, this year's increasing oil prices spurred an interest in alternative energy. The oil prices have decreased the last couple of month but only temporarily. OPEC recently decided to cut oil production by 2.2 million barrels a day.

“OPEC's decision will likely lead to an increase in oil and gas prices in America and proves the point that we must reduce our dependence on foreign oil” says Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens. “ You can't fault them for trying to maximize the value of a commodity they have, but you have to fault us as a nation if we don't reduce our dependence on foreign oil and the threat it poses to our national security and economy. We have the domestic resources in wind, solar and natural gas to get the job done on energy and transportation, so let's use them."

Read more in” 1 million join Pickens army” and European Union and Egypt sign agreement on energy"

Technology- and policy innovations:

Leading the nation in wind power generation and ranking 6 in renewable energy output, Texas shows how important the use of both innovative technology and policy are. A renewable portfolio standard was set in Texas electricity restructuring legislation of 1999, mandating the construction of 2,000 megawatts of renewable energy by 2009, and prompting the renewable energy industry to speed up construction on Texas sites.

Read more in “Texas’ green gold”, “Biofuel-powered aircrafts within three years”, “Dallas to build first sustainable square block in the U.S” and “Eco-friendly cars keep industry competitive”.

UN Conference in Poznan:

With most countries slow to accept environmental responsibility, finding a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol might be a tough going. Economic theory sees a correlation between GDP and pollution. When a country has high GDP it doesn’t pollute so much, but pollution increase with industrialization and GDP growth. It is first when a country have high GDP it can spend resources on cleaning the air. The U.S Energy Administration (EIA) calculates that China accounts for 13% of world carbon emissions, ranking second behind the United States, and expecst it to increase to 19% by 2015.

Read more in “Few results in Poznan – fight against climate change starts at home”