Affordable Renewal Energy

Author Archives for Charlie Lawton

Capping Emissions Would Cost 1% of GDP


This story is crossposted from our friends at envirowonk.com

How much would it cost, really, to take on global warming. The strongest and angriest debate against capping emissions comes from industry, saying that ANY system would severely slow the American economy, and hinting that we might never recover from such a shock.

If you were wondering if that was a complete cow crap, so was the Environmental Defense Fund. They recently funded an analysis that suggests that the truth may be quite the opposite. They find that reducing global carbon emissions will cost just 1 percent of our GDP in 2030, retarding our economic growth by only two to seven months.

EDF’s report also finds that the pressure to innovate and find new energy sources will stimulate the economy through the creation of so-called green collar jobs, which will help to offset the minimal projected job losses in the manufacturing sector. Household energy costs are projected to rise, but EDF suggests that the rise will be small enough that programs could be put in place to assist low-income households with energy costs.

This report may allay some fears that global warming mitigation will be too expensive, and may mitigate resistance by lobbyists and pro-business politicians. (Maybe. When it comes to politicians, all bets are off.)

The report concludes, however, with a caveat: that the costs they calculate will quickly become unmanageable if mitigation is delayed. In other words, policymakers, finish your business or get off the pot, before it becomes too difficult to do either.

Obama Endorses Gore…But Does Gore Endorse Obama?


This story is cross posted from EnviroWonk.com

We’ve been expecting Al Gore to sweep out of left field and announce a presidential candidacy ever since the primaries got underway, but so far no dice (though we give a high-five to Grist for their awesome April Fool’s post — we fell for it).

Anyway, the Nobel-winning ex-Veep says he’s not interested in running for the presidency again, and not interested in government in general. We might get the next best thing, though: Barack Obama has emphatically stated that he wants to call on Gore to fill a cabinet-level post to help deal with climate change.

At a town hall meeting in Pennsylvania, a supporter asked Obama yesterday if he’d pursue Gore’s involvement. The answer? "I would. Not only will I, but I will make a commitment that Al Gore will be at the table and play a central part in us figuring out how we solve this problem. He’s somebody I talk to on a regular basis. I’m already consulting with him in terms of these issues, but climate change is real. It is something we have to deal with now, not 10 years from now, not 20 years from now."

While political strategists dismiss the possibility of Gore serving under Obama — and it’s unlikely that any president is going to create a cabinet-level Secretary of Climate Change position — we wonder what would happen if Obama offered Gore the position of, say, Secretary of State. That might be a hard one to turn down, especially given the even larger platform it would give Gore to work internationally on climate change solutions.

Since leaving the Clinton White House, Gore has shed his formerly passionless, dry political persona for a surprisingly fiery career in advocacy and public education on global warming. We think it’d be pretty interesting if he brought that fire to a new administration — and lit it under the butts of policymakers and lawmakers who are currently more interested in stonewalling and repaying their campaign debts.

Gore, however, has indicated no interest in rejoining government, and has lately masterminded a series of TV and internet spots that aim to increase public awareness of climate change.