As I've watched the Gulf of Mexico oil spill unfold over the last few days, a few thought have come to mind.
First, a note to God-fearing opponents of the bold climate change and clean energy legislation that will also help us deal with the looming Peak Oil crisis: watching the recent deadly coal mine disaster, quickly followed by this catastrophically costly, headline-grabbing (likely for weeks to come) offshore oil drilling disaster, does it seem kinda like The Lord is pissed about our dirty energy use?
It hasn't been a very good month for those raping Mother Earth for the dirty energy sources that are destabilizing the global climate system, threatening humanity's food and water supplies.
Second, how ironic that this oil spill catastrophe is going to hit the hardest economically in the deep southern U.S., the heart of political support for "Drill Baby Drill!"
The good news, especially given that the Senate is about to start debate on Climate Change and Clean Energy legislation: this type of disaster just doesn't happen with solar or wind power.
Sure, it's going to take a LOT of work and energy (and even fossil fuel use) to transition to clean energy. But we CAN have energy without these deadly, catastrophically costly, economically destabilizing and toxic risks posed by fossil fuels.
Best of all, the building, installation, sales, administration, transport, you name it of all this clean energy infrastructure is going to create the millions of new jobs our economy badly needs. They are good jobs that will make people proud -- coming with the badge of honor that they have joined the clean energy revolution that is freeing America from our addiction to dirty oil and other fossil fuels.
Now it's up to Congress to make it happen and unleash the tsunami of clean energy technology investment that's been waiting on the sidelines for the rules of the game to be established.
Let's play ball, and play to win.
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Dr Jon, you speak the truth!
ReplyDeleteI really hope this tragedy can be parlayed into something positive, namely the passing of that bill.
I hate this man made horror as much as anyone else. No matter which side of the warming/cooling/climate table one sits on, it is always the same attitude that underlies our short sighted decisions. I for one am sick to death of our supreme collective arrogance, our overweeningly superior attitudes, even our egocentric willingness to think we are so powerful that as humans we claim we are the ones who can kill or save the entire planet, all while saving us from our own unavoidable extinction. At the same time we strut about claiming we can outsmart nature. We second guess millennial changes in climate (natural climate, which we are not omnipotent enough to have altered, like six degrees warmer than now during the Mediaeval Warm Period or massive global crop failures & millions dying during the Little Ice Age). That is the same arrogance as any oil executive possesses. Climate saviourism & repeat cult worship politics which elect misguided, ill informed leaders, THAT is what got us into this mess. However, it might ALSO help for someone to explain the term "clean". Isn't that same indistinguishable human arrogance what also got us thinking that there is such a thing as "clean" energy? Please explain how these choices are not just as short sighted & harmful. If it isn't biofuels destroying food crops, turbines killing birds & blighting the landscape, or extremely toxic materials used in the creation of solar panels, what is it we are so all fired clever at doing? And I've got land in Chernobyl to sell to anyone who thinks nuclear energy is "clean" & a guarantee not to cause an equally horrific disaster.
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