Earth Equity News

In State of the Union Speech Obama Focuses on Nukes, Offshore Drilling and Biofuels. Commentary by David Roberts, Grist, January 28, 2009. "On the subjects of climate and energy, he began well, introducing the eminently sensible notion that the U.S. needs to get cracking on creating clean energy jobs lest we have our lunch eaten by China, Germany, and India. 'I do not accept second place for the United States of America,' he thundered. Well good then! What does that mean? This was the opportunity. There are thousands of stories he could have told: about the burgeoning interest in energy efficiency and building retrofits, the cheapest and most labor-intensive way to reduce emissions; the astoundingly fast spread of distributed energy, driven by innovative financing models; the rapid growth and falling costs of wind and solar thermal power; the spread of bright green, low-carbon, walkable cities, where people benefit by living more sustainable lives. There are so many fascinating, inspiring, untold stories around energy right now. This was a real chance to open the public's eyes to the amazing revolution happening around them -- a revolution that can benefit them, employ them, and inspire them. Instead 'what it means' was, in order: nukes, offshore oil and gas drilling, biofuels, 'clean coal,' and ... well, that's it. That's right, in listing what 'clean energy' means the president did not mention renewable energy. That's just stunning. It's 2010 and renewable energy isn't even an afterthought?

"There were a few bright moments. First, the focus on clean energy jobs and 21st century competition is good, even if filled it out with 19th century energy sources that don't actually create many jobs. It's good that Obama is opening up an ideological space for non-greens to get excited about clean energy: 'the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy. And America must be that nation.' Perfect line... The speech really caught fire toward the end, when he left behind substance and started talking process. I loved that he called out Republicans: 'Neither party should delay or obstruct every single bill just because they can.' I loved that he called out Democrats: 'we still have the largest majority in decades, and the people expect us to solve problems, not run for the hills.' I love the rhetoric of leadership, of seizing history, of tackling big problems and accomplishing big things... But, he's got to put some cards on the table, get in the mix, risk losing a little bit of his cool and composure. Otherwise he runs the danger of having his legacy be little more than vast and unrealized hopes." Video, 70 min.