Energy Policy: The Leaders vs. The Zombies
Football season is officially upon us. As a Chicago native, whose beloved Bears tend to attain championship-level play about once every generation, this is the time of year that I typically reflect on the question of why some teams, like my Bears, never seem to get it right. They have everything going for them. Talent....tradition....loyal fans....but each season is a fresh exercise in futility.
At the same time, a handful of other teams seem to always be in the hunt for a Super Bowl berth. The Patriots. The Colts. The Steelers. The Cowboys. Some teams always seem to find talent in unexpected places, and more importantly, make the most of what they have. They just play good, solid football, and do all of the little things right.
The difference between perennial winners and laggards in football or any other endeavor almost always comes down to smart, aggressive leadership. Leaders with vision, and the courage to act when others have doubts or disapprove.
Such is the difference between our U.S energy policy, and that of Germany.
Recently, the World Resource Institute hosted an event which featured Jochen Flasbarth, President of the German Federal Environment Agency. The primary topic of the event was Germany's efforts to convert to 100% renewable electricity by 2050.
As shown in this WRI Working Paper highlighting the 2009 Copenhagen Accord, Germany has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions from 1990 levels by 40%, by 2020. The U.S. pledge, found on page 11 of the report, is 3-5%, with the caveat that our pledge is provisional, depending on pending climate change legislation, which is now postponed indefinitely.
The leadership difference again....German leaders have acknowledged that there is a climate problem that can be influenced, and they are aggressively taking steps to solve the problem. Our leaders can't even agree that a problem exists. Many of our leaders depend on campaign contributions from carbon-based energy companies, so their job security depends upon denying climate change, regardless of what's best for our country.
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