Efficiency First

In a Washington Post opinion piece titled “Don’t believe in global warming? That’s not very conservative”, Bracken Hendricks points out why Republicans should care about climate change. There is a short-sightedness in the Republican stance on this issue, he explains, one which will prove costly when an environmental catastrophe will strike. Risk and irresponsibility toward this issue is in contradiction with core conservative values.

In a study conducted by the Center for American Progress Action Fund in September, almost all of the Republican candidates surveyed reported that they rejected measures to alleviate climate change. The study also found that most of them did not trust the global warming scientific data. This political stance seemed to have increased in strength, serving as an issue that unites the right in opposition of climate change actions.

In response to the argument that energy efficiency policies will increase the scope of government, Hendricks reminds republicans that when climate change starts affecting society more deeply, the government will have to step in to deal with the consequences. Conservatives are taking a big risk in the face of this uncertainty and possibility of danger. He points out that the costs of inaction, calculated by a British government 2006 study, could be 5 to 20 percent of the global yearly GDP in property and crop damage. The cost of taking measures to decrease green house gases would amount to 1 to 2 percent of the global GDP.

Hendricks explains how the government will have to handle infrastructure projects needed to rebuild coastline cities affected by rising ocean levels. When rivers will fail to fill up dams, the state will need to find alternative sources of energy. It will also have to deal with the consequences of calamities happening abroad, when immigrants could flow to the US, or when imported food supplies dwindle.

“We basically have three choices: mitigation [cutting emissions], adaptation and suffering. We’re going to do some of each. The question is what the mix is going to be.” Says White House science director John Holdren.

Undoubtedly, it will be difficult to promote energy policy in the next years. But the energy efficiency industry has an ally, Energy Secretary Steven Chu. As a physicist and former professor, Chu has been named the “green-energy czar”. His scientific background allows him to understand and absorb technical information in a way that none of the 11 previous energy secretaries have been able to do. He also sees the connections between prosperity and mitigating climate change, and can distinguish how passing energy legislation now will benefit the country long-term. Rather than uniting against the presented facts about global warming, Chu states that we should unite to work to alleviate this phenomenon.

As the new government settles into office, let’s show them how home energy efficiency is in the interest of republicans, democrats and everyone in between.

Below is the links to the two Washington Post articles outlined in this blog:

“Don’t believe in global warming? That’s not very conservative” By Bracken Hendricks

“Energy Secretary Chu in sprint to put stimulus to work on renewable innovations” By Steven Mufson