A question for environmentalist what to expect in coming years?

Question

I personally disagree with you folks on many levels; be that as it may, I also am a realist. I know that short of a complete goof up on the part of Obama, he will almost certainly be the next ‘president’ of the US.

It is a given that obama cares not for American industry, or job creation. It is also a given that Gore and his policies will shape our future at least for the next few years.

Question:

What policies do YOU want to see put in place at a Federal level, and what do you predict will be the results of said policies, in regards to Employment numbers, cost of living, and total expected cost to the average family to see these policies put in action.

Please don’t list, ‘raise the ‘café’ standards’ That’s a given, the majority of American workers will not and can not just run out an buy a new car for even 8 to 10 more miles to the gallon.

What do you want to see him change and what will it cost in REAL dollars, and jobs.

Answer 1

That's a big question and I'm no wonk, but there are some simple things we can and should have been doing for a long time.  And some misconceptions that should be rectified.

For example, Energy conservation pays for itself, this one's easy.  

Protecting the environment in general pays for itself, this one is hard. It's hard to justify a statistic on a chart that says we will have less cancer deaths, less missed work days from asthma, less percentage lost topsoil, less percent of dead zone at the Gulf of Mexico etc, etc.  But all these things add up and make a difference in peoples lives, make a difference for our future.

For example, an entire new alternative energy industry could be created for 500 billion to 1 trillion dollars over the next 50 years.  According to Mr. Obama, millions of jobs will be created.  We will have weaned ourselves from foreign oil, and from fossil fuels in general almost entirely, and after that the cost of fuel is free! And the cost of energy gets reduced to the cost of maintaining the infrastructure.  

For comparison, the North American electric grid took 100 years to build at a cost of 1 trillion dollars equivalent.  

The reason we are stuck and people can't run out and buy a new car is two fold.  #1 the cafe standards weren't raised years ago as they should have been.  #2 There is has been no national commitment to expect more from industry on the r&d front, allowing them to constantly bait and switch us with promised future technologies.  Like for example fuel cells.  They are a complete boondoggle, reforming the hydrogen from fossil fuels (which is exactly where they plan to get it) is worse than just burning the hydrocarbons in the first place.

We should have 50-75 mpg cars available as an option now, but we don't because we have allowed ourselves to get backed into a corner.

The policy I want to see from Washington is to stop pretending we don't have a problem!  

Employment numbers - up because we will become more efficient in the world market, and we can regain some of our lost leadership.

Cost of living - no change

Total cost - no change

It's just a matter of changing priorities.  

I find this old idea that being green cost us dollars and jobs to be really getting tired.  The opposite is true and people in the US today are proving it.  

Shall we be stuck in the past forever and make this loss of standing in the world a self-fulfilling prophesy?

Answer 2

I would like to see the federal goverment live by the laws they force us to live by.

Answer 3

Your suggestion that Obama does not care about jobs or working people is complete idiocy.  How could a president be elected as a "sure thing" like you say and not care about American jobs?  I do not think Americans would elect him.

There is a balance between the future sustainability of our planet and the needs of people to drive their H3s across the country.  I think having people stop driving SUVs and using more renewable energy is a small price to pay to make the planet stay alive for our children's children.  To change your way of life - to recycle, use clean energy, and drive more fuel efficient cars - does not cost American jobs but it will require people like you to get off your sofa and start helping.

Bush has worked very hard to completely ignore any environmental protective policies and actually denied the existence of global warming his entire 8 years.  EVEN McCain acknowledges that global warming is a problem.  I only hope that if Obama is elected he can manage to undo some of the horror Bush has already inflicted on the planet and start to turn things around.