No More Doom-and-Gloom

We must take immediate action to drastically reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. The burning of dirty coal and oil is causing global temperatures to rise, which will lead to catastrophic climate change. Weather patterns will change. Famines will become more common. Polar ice will melt and sea levels will rise. Coastal areas will become uninhabitable. Millions will be forced to leave their homes. Conflicts over space and resources will intensify. If we fail to act and climate change continues unabated, wars, extreme weather, and rampant disease will become the norm. The Earth, our home, will become the stuff of nightmares.

If you believe in climate change, you probably nodded your head tiredly in agreement with the previous paragraph. This is the same argument you’ve heard over the last decade about why it is essential to take action. If you don’t believe in climate change, you are either no longer reading this article or have kept reading only to amuse yourself with another tree-hugging liberal beating a dead horse.

The problem with the “climate change is real and we need to do something about it” argument to support a transition to clean energy is that it has lost all political traction. In Washington, the surest way to guarantee failure of a policy proposal is to use climate change as a justification. The mere utterance of the phrase can cause a near revolt from conservative lawmakers.

For those of us who believe in the importance of a clean energy future, a new way of thinking is necessary. If progressives want to make any headway on energy policy, we will have to stop whining about climate change. It’s time to reframe the discussion.

Part one of the progressive argument for clean energy: energy independence. In a previous article, I detailed the costs of continued dependence on foreign oil. And no matter what you hear from the “drill-baby-drill” crowd, oil means foreign oil. Instead, we should encourage the development of homegrown biofuel made from algae fed by the carbon produced by coal power plants (yes, that’s real) or electric cars powered by renewable energy. Reducing our dependence on oil through domestic renewable energy production is the right policy for America.

Part two of the progressive argument for clean energy: the economy. A recent Google report details how a national clean energy policy would create almost 2 million jobs and would lead to growth of the U.S. economy of $244 billion per year. With a faltering economy, the United States would benefit greatly from a robust clean energy industry that contributes to long-term growth.

But let’s avoid ruining good policy ideas with convoluted arguments and bad marketing as liberals so often do. Here is a simplification of these ideas into powerful talking points for progressives:

America needs a clean energy future. Our dependence on foreign oil threatens our national security. We entangle ourselves in questionable diplomatic relationships with countries like Saudi Arabia, send our money to petro-dictators which is then potentially diverted to terrorists, and waste our military resources securing access to oil rather than defending our country.

Clean energy will revitalize our struggling economy. America’s economy has always been driven by innovation. By continuing to subsidize fossil fuel companies in the place of a smart pro-growth energy policy, we stifle innovation and limit opportunities to create new jobs. Now, more than ever, our economy needs clean energy.

Without a comprehensive clean energy policy, we will continue to fall behind in the global economy and put ourselves at risk by importing foreign oil. Let’s do better.