February 2, 2010--Say Goodnight Gracie
Totally overlooked from the extraordinary encounter Barack Obama had last Friday with the Republican House caucus was his challenge to them about getting behind the development of a green economy.
Acknowledging that many from the GOP have doubts about the science that see humans contributing to global warming, he made this larger point--
Even as we may disagree about the causes of global warming, he ruminated, don't we agree that much of the rest of the developed world does have concerns about the human contributions to it and are thus eager to drive less polluting cars, reduce their carbon emissions, derive more of their energy from renewable sources, and find better ways to dispose of and recycle waste? Don't we want to be making the world's best batteries? Don't we want to be manufacturing the most fuel-efficient cars? Don't we want to lead the world in developing sustainable energy technologies? Don't we want to be preeminent in the production of energy-saving products, including automobiles?
Again, even if Americans continue to want to drive SUVs and may not be as eager as Europeans to recycle waste, shouldn't we be able to, shouldn't we want to dominate these new markets and shouldn't all of us therefore be eager to expand this side of our domestic economy?
Obama granted the Republican House members their disbelief (and a belief it surely is) about the human causes of global warming but tried to appeal to their market-oriented view of the world.
It will be interesting to see how they respond. To see if on this basis Republicans will support government efforts to invest in cutting edge research and new technologies. To do what governments around the world routinely do so that we can regain our economic advantages. But since they again were silent in the face of Obama's appeal, I wouldn't hold my breath.
He was right, of course; but I suspect that since the GOP will continue to attempt to block anything he proposes for partisan purposes as they continue to be intransigent in an effort to gain the political upper hand--the be all and end all for the senior Republican leadership--while they play these gotcha games within the Beltway and continue to operate from talking points and devote themselves to the politics of obfuscation, on the other side of the world, the Chinese are not spinning their wheels or waiting around.
Read the linked article from the New York Times. It details how they are already beating our time when it comes to becoming the dominant world force in the field of sustainable energy generation.
As the Times puts it, if we do not quickly amend our ways, to remain competitive, as the rest of the world moves toward generating more and more of its energy from sustainable sources, we will eventually become as dependent on China for our energy as we currently are on the Middle East.
Not a situation that any of us, including the GOP, should be looking forward to. They may succeed in bringing down Obama, but in the process they may also wind up bringing down America. They will inherit the wind. And I am not referring to wind power.
I am basically all right buying shirts made in China and Chinese manufactured children's toys (assuming they are not toxic); and I can deal with the fact that the can of Mandarin oranges I used the other night in my citrus rice recipe came from China (also assuming they are not toxic); but I am far from OK learning that China is now outstripping the U.S. and Europe when it comes to the design and manufacture of electricity-generating wind turbines; is now the world leader in the production of solar panels; and soon will be outstripping us when it comes to the export of state-of-the-art nuclear power plants and low-emission, efficient, high output coal power plants.
Ironically, the Chinese are acting as the Republicans should. They too have their doubts about the causes of global warming, or do not care about that while growing their economy at annual double-digit rates; and thus for the foreseeable future will continue to derive 75 percent of the power they need from high-sulfur coal. They already are the world's leading emitter of carbon into the atmosphere. But while rampaging ahead in this polluting way, they are also seizing the opportunity to develop and build world-class products that are environmentally sensitive. If there's a buck to be made this way, or a Yuan, they will go after it.
This will also mean good jobs for Chinese workers. 1.12 million are already employed in these industries and they expect to add each year at least 100,000 more green-energy jobs. Exactly the kind Obama wants to see Americans filling.
Additionally ironic, very soon most of the wind turbines and solar panels we use in America in our efforts to generate more power in sustainable ways will come stamped Made In China.
Acknowledging that many from the GOP have doubts about the science that see humans contributing to global warming, he made this larger point--
Even as we may disagree about the causes of global warming, he ruminated, don't we agree that much of the rest of the developed world does have concerns about the human contributions to it and are thus eager to drive less polluting cars, reduce their carbon emissions, derive more of their energy from renewable sources, and find better ways to dispose of and recycle waste? Don't we want to be making the world's best batteries? Don't we want to be manufacturing the most fuel-efficient cars? Don't we want to lead the world in developing sustainable energy technologies? Don't we want to be preeminent in the production of energy-saving products, including automobiles?
Again, even if Americans continue to want to drive SUVs and may not be as eager as Europeans to recycle waste, shouldn't we be able to, shouldn't we want to dominate these new markets and shouldn't all of us therefore be eager to expand this side of our domestic economy?
Obama granted the Republican House members their disbelief (and a belief it surely is) about the human causes of global warming but tried to appeal to their market-oriented view of the world.
It will be interesting to see how they respond. To see if on this basis Republicans will support government efforts to invest in cutting edge research and new technologies. To do what governments around the world routinely do so that we can regain our economic advantages. But since they again were silent in the face of Obama's appeal, I wouldn't hold my breath.
He was right, of course; but I suspect that since the GOP will continue to attempt to block anything he proposes for partisan purposes as they continue to be intransigent in an effort to gain the political upper hand--the be all and end all for the senior Republican leadership--while they play these gotcha games within the Beltway and continue to operate from talking points and devote themselves to the politics of obfuscation, on the other side of the world, the Chinese are not spinning their wheels or waiting around.
Read the linked article from the New York Times. It details how they are already beating our time when it comes to becoming the dominant world force in the field of sustainable energy generation.
As the Times puts it, if we do not quickly amend our ways, to remain competitive, as the rest of the world moves toward generating more and more of its energy from sustainable sources, we will eventually become as dependent on China for our energy as we currently are on the Middle East.
Not a situation that any of us, including the GOP, should be looking forward to. They may succeed in bringing down Obama, but in the process they may also wind up bringing down America. They will inherit the wind. And I am not referring to wind power.
I am basically all right buying shirts made in China and Chinese manufactured children's toys (assuming they are not toxic); and I can deal with the fact that the can of Mandarin oranges I used the other night in my citrus rice recipe came from China (also assuming they are not toxic); but I am far from OK learning that China is now outstripping the U.S. and Europe when it comes to the design and manufacture of electricity-generating wind turbines; is now the world leader in the production of solar panels; and soon will be outstripping us when it comes to the export of state-of-the-art nuclear power plants and low-emission, efficient, high output coal power plants.
Ironically, the Chinese are acting as the Republicans should. They too have their doubts about the causes of global warming, or do not care about that while growing their economy at annual double-digit rates; and thus for the foreseeable future will continue to derive 75 percent of the power they need from high-sulfur coal. They already are the world's leading emitter of carbon into the atmosphere. But while rampaging ahead in this polluting way, they are also seizing the opportunity to develop and build world-class products that are environmentally sensitive. If there's a buck to be made this way, or a Yuan, they will go after it.
This will also mean good jobs for Chinese workers. 1.12 million are already employed in these industries and they expect to add each year at least 100,000 more green-energy jobs. Exactly the kind Obama wants to see Americans filling.
Additionally ironic, very soon most of the wind turbines and solar panels we use in America in our efforts to generate more power in sustainable ways will come stamped Made In China.
posted by Steven Zwerling at
5:08 AM
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