October 15th, 2009 -- one of the largest social change events on the web. On the eve of this annual event, 7,787 blogs in 140 countries have registered to participate. Makes me realize it's time I get serious about blogging on this topic. Have spent hundreds of hours reading this year - and wondering if the economics of fear are finally turning the tide. While I'm an eternal optimist, I think we're in for a lot more pain.
Climate change is no longer a threat. It's a fact. Carbon-fuel shortages are no longer a distant possibility - they're virtually around the corner. Water resources treated by thirsty nations as endless are proving to be anything but.
The world is awake to the dangers, and Copenhagen looms with its promise of global cooperation. But the run-up to it is worrisome. China and other developing nations seek offsets so as not to see their economic growth stifled by emissions limits. Here in the U.S., cap-and-trade legislation sits sidelined in the U.S. Congress while health-care reform takes center stage. Obama is unlikely to carry the mandate he needs to make the meaningful commitment needed.
Take action today. Tell your senators the world can't wait for clean energy! Visit
http://www.change.org/actions/view/tell_your_senators_the_world_cant_wait_for_clean_energy
By week's end, we should have important new federal legislation -- the American Clean Energy and Security ACT (ACESA). It puts a price on carbon emissions, a cap for creating them, and a mechanism for trading credits for reducing them. Money talks, and now the real change begins!
The Center for American Progress this week published an economic assessment of how ACESA and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will impact the U.S. economy. The authors, Robert Polin, James Heintz, and Heidi Garrett-Peltier, of the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, forecas $150B per year in new investment, including 1.7M net new jobs per year over the life of ARRA. Their detailed analysis also includes the following investment forecasts by energy area:
1. Energy efficiency: $80B/year
2. Smart Grid: $44B/year
3. Public Transportation: $5B per year
4. Cogeneration: $5B/year
5.Renewable Energy:
On-Grid: $30B/year
Off-Grid: $8B/year over 20 years
Nonelectric renewable energy: $3B/year
Alternative motor vehicle fuels: $5B year
View a copy of the report
here.