Carbon-free energy for the United States within 10 years? What?!!!? That’s science fiction!

According to former vice-president and 2007 Nobel laureate Al Gore, this is more than possible, it is essential to our survival.

In a speech he gave yesterday, Gore again spoke of the dangers we face in failing to act, and acting quickly. What really astounded me was his allusion to Kennedy’s 1961 declaration that the US would land a man on the moon within 10 years. And what happened there? It only took 8 years 2 months. If we can complete such an overwhelming task as sending humans to space, millions of miles away from planet Earth, I think it is very realistic that we can change our carbon-polluting ways right here at home on planet Earth.

Sure, it is going to take a lot of effort, and people may not be pleased with certain sacrifices that are needed to conserve our limited natural resources, but what other choice do we have? For myself, and many others concerned with the future of this planet, it is always an uphill battle to change people’s attitudes, and ultimately their behaviors. If we want to last for another century, we better start living less lavishly. But what is so amazing is that it doesn’t take much to change things. Replacing your old incandescent light bulbs with efficient CFLs is a great start. Consolidating your errands, buying items with less packaging, refraining from having a steak, or any other meat, for just one meal each week, walking, riding your bike, carpooling, or using public transportation - all of these things add up, in a good way. You hear so much about “sustainability” and “carbon footprints” these days, but aside from the catchy names or green commercials you may see on TV or read in your National Geographic, these are very important causes that will ultimately help the human species continue its tenure on planet Earth.

What is shocking to me is that we have politicians and private corporations who value wealth and material items more than those from whom they pillage to obtain them. When will lawmakers stop taking bribes from lobbyists and receiving perks for going along with environmentally-unfriendly, backwards policies? Surely you have heard about the pressure Nancy Pelosi is getting from the White House and many congress members to open up protected waters for offshore drilling. How will this ever help mitigate our plight with the pump these days? Some estimates are saying that it will be 10 years before we see any oil from new drilling sites. Oh yeah, and in 10 years we are supposed to be carbon neutral on the electricity grid. Sounds like a catch-22 to me. Flawed, brash policies like these result in a weaker nation and a degraded environment. Consider, to me, an unforgettable closely statement given by author Barbara Kingsolver at a Univ. of Kentucky talk about her latest novel, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle:

How will we explain to our children that the last of our fossil fuels were spent shipping rotten avocados from Chile to the US?

Great question, and an insightful analogy of what is currently occurring throughout our country and the rest of the world: We are living as though there will be no consequences of our actions; that we have unlimited natural resources. Newsflash! That $4.07/gallon you just paid for regular unleaded, with perhaps up to 10% ethanol (that’s another story: ethanol-schmethanol) - that $4.07 is just the start of things my friends. Oil is up over 400% per barrel since Bush took office in 2001. Do you really see these prices going down?

Ok, let me ask you this. What do we do when our entire society, dependent on fossil fuels, has fossil fuels no more? It’s time to start addressing these problems with real solutions. We cannot think about 5 years down the road, we must think about 50 and 500 years ahead. If we want to survive, our only option is to address these serious environmental issues. This is NOT a partisan issue, and it never should be. Forget the propaganda you hear. Republicans and democrats, regardless of your religious beliefs, family values, moral, etc., we all can, and must be advocates for a healthy planet. Despite our myriad of individual differences, we all breathe the same air, need the same fresh water, and live off the same fruits of the land. This is a matter of survival. Period.

Listen to Al Gore, listen to the Pope, listen to Barack Obama, Pat Robertson, and even John McCain. Climate change affects us all, regardless of what we may believe about other issues. It’s time to act, and time to stop letting disingenuous politicians and corrupt corporations from running our planet on a path to complete, and utter environmental destruction.

Contact your congressman/woman, your state senator, your governor, your state legislators, and your president and vice-president, to discuss your concerns about the current attempts to start drilling in protected offshore areas, not to mention areas of Alaska that were recently opened up for oil exploration, by the Department of the Interior. 

We don’t protect our environment unless we act. Start asking the questions that will make politicians and corporations responsible for their actions.

David