THE PREZ ON ENERGY, CLIMATE CHANGE

After welcome, though late, full acknowledgement of human-induced climate change as a present and urgent matter, there were 3 emphases in this speech: (1) working together, (2) new technology and (surprisingly) (3) stopping deforestation.

Despite the President’s many calls for “can’t-we-all-just-get-along” he continued to assert each country’s right and responsibility to go its own way on emissions reductions. The one sliver of hope: He said he could accept a Montreal Protocols-like agreement. Research HERE and HERE.

His repeated calls for new technology unfortunately returned first to “clean” coal, nuclear, ethanol and hydrogen fuels before making a limited gesture toward wind and solar energies and a joking if promising gesture toward plug-in hybrid vehicles.

The President’s remarks on stopping deforestation were as welcome as they were surprising.

His choice of language was in some cases ("…be responsible stewards of the earth the Almighty trusted to our care…") clearly designed to communicate with environmentally active elements of the evangelical Christian community.

President Bush is to be complimented for having a full spectrum of concerns on energy. His positive attitude and his sense of urgency are welcome. His overemphasis on new technology seems almost naive -- and he is NOT naive.

Bush Addresses Energy Policy, Climate Change
September 28, 2007 (CQ Transcripts via Washington Post)

WHO
- I thank the State Department for hosting this event.
- I thank Jim Connaughton, who is the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality, for being here. I appreciate you being the personal representative of this
- I welcome Minister Rachmat, the Minister of Environment of Indonesia, who is the Chairman of the upcoming U.N. climate meeting in December. I welcome Mr. de Boer, who is the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
- I thank members of the Congress who have taken time to come by: Congressman Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Congressman Bart Gordon of Tennessee.



WHAT
- Energy security and climate change are two of the great challenges of our time. The United States takes these challenges seriously. The world's response will help shape the future of the global economy and the condition of our environment for future generations…
- Our investments in research and technology are bringing the world closer to a remarkable breakthrough -- an age of clean energy where we can power our growing economies and improve the lives of our people and be responsible stewards of the earth the Almighty trusted to our care…

WHEN
- Last year America grew our economy while also reducing greenhouse gases. Several other nations have made similar strides…
- In this new century, the need for energy will only grow. Much of this increased demand will come from the developing world, where nations will need more energy to build critical infrastructure and grow their economies, improve the lives of their people…

- Only by doing the necessary work this year will it be possible to reach a global consensus at the U.N. in 2009…
- Twenty years ago nations finalized an agreement called the Montreal Protocol to phase-out substances that were depleting the ozone layer. Since then, we have made great strides to repair the damage…We have seen what happens when we come together to work for a common cause, and we can do it again…

WHERE
- Energy sustains the world's most advanced economies, which makes it possible for us to devote resources to fighting hunger and disease and poverty around the globe…
- Much of this increased demand will come from the developing world, where nations will need more energy to build critical infrastructure and grow their economies, improve the lives of their people…
- … the United States and Japan fund most of the research and development for clean energy technologies…



WHY
- Overall, the demand for energy is expected to rise by more than 50 percent by 2030.
This growing demand for energy is a sign of a vibrant, global economy. Yet it also possesses -- poses serious challenges… energy security… climate change…
- By developing new low-emission technologies, we can meet the growing demand for energy and at the same time reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, our nations have an opportunity to leave the debates of the past behind, and reach a consensus on the way forward…
- The best way to tackle this problem is to think creatively and to learn from other's experiences and to come together on a way to achieve the objectives we share…
- This new approach must involve all the world's largest producers of greenhouse gas emissions, including developed and developing nations…
- Each nation will design its own separate strategies for making progress… Each nation must decide for itself the right mix of tools and technologies… The key to this effort will be the advance of clean energy technologies…
- The age of clean energy requires transforming the way we produce electricity…
- The world's supply of coal is secure and abundant. And our challenge is take advantage of it while maintaining our commitment to the environment. One promising solution is advanced clean coal technology…
- The United States is working to reduce barriers to new nuclear power plants…
- Wind power is becoming cost-effective in many parts of America. We've increased wind energy production by more than 300 percent. We also launched the Solar America Initiative to lower the cost of solar power…low-carbon technologies like wind and solar power have the potential to one day provide up to 20 percent of America's electricity…
- Transportation accounts for about 20 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions every year. To reduce these emissions we must reduce our dependence on oil…biofuels like cellulosic ethanol…tax credits to encourage Americans to drive fuel- efficient hybrid vehicles…next-generation plug-in hybrids that will be able to travel nearly 40 miles without using a drop of gasoline. And your automobile doesn't have to look like a golf cart.(Laughter)… advanced hydrogen-powered vehicles… We've asked Congress to set a new mandatory -- I repeat, mandatory -- fuel standard that requires 35 billion gallons of renewable and other alternative fuels in 2017, and to reform fuel economy standards for cars the same way we did for light trucks. Together these two steps will help us cut America's consumption of gasoline by 20 percent in 10 years.
- …we must also address another major factor in climate change, which is deforestation. The world's forests help reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by storing carbon dioxide. But when our forests disappear, the concentration of greenhouse gas levels rise in the atmosphere. Scientists estimate that nearly 20 percent of the world's greenhouse gas admissions [sic] are attributable to deforestation…We welcome new commitments from Australia, Brazil, with China and Indonesia. The United States remains committed to initiatives such as the Congo Basin Forest Partnership and the Asian Forest Partnership. We will continue our efforts through the Tropical Forest Conservation Act…America's efforts also include an $87-million initiative to help developing nations stop illegal logging…The United States is also taking steps to protect forests in our own country…We're promoting sustainable public and private land-management policies…

This is the power of the future, whoever is the president of the future. So get out of the new road if you can’t lend your hand.

QUOTES
- A report issued earlier this year by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded both that global temperatures are rising and that this is caused largely by human activities. When we burn fossil fuels we release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and the concentration of greenhouse gases has increased substantially.
For many years those who worried about climate change and those who worried about energy security were on opposite ends of the debate. It was said that we faced a choice between protecting the environment and producing enough energy. Today we know better…

- We will harness the power of technology. There is a way forward that will enable us to grow our economies and protect the environment, and that's called technology. We'll meet our energy needs. We'll be good stewards of this environment. Achieving these goals will require a sustained effort over many decades. This problem isn't going to be solved overnight. Yet years from now our children are going to look back at the choices we make today, at this deciding moment: It will be a moment when we choose to expand prosperity instead of accepting stagnation; it will be a moment when we turn the tide against greenhouse gas emissions instead of allowing the problem to grow; it will be a moment when we rejected the predictions of despair and set a course of a more hopeful future…The moment is now…