[Sosfbay-discuss] Greens versus Green-washed: Mesplay on Bali mtg.

[Wes Rolley]

*Greens versus Green-washed: Mesplay on Bali mtg. *

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change meeting in Bali is 
drawing to a close.  While the rest of the world is determined to do 
something about Climate Change, the United States under the Bush 
Administration continues to practice divide and conquer tactics between 
countries in order to avoid taking any responsibility for ourselves.  
They use the word "consensus" in press conferences and then try to 
undermine the consensus that already exists.

This administration has been treating Al Qaeda as a security threat and 
ignores the security threat from an entire planet whose populations, 
especially those of the poorest countries, have been destabilized by 
rising ocean levels, failing crops, drought and floods. That is the real 
security issue of the 21st Century and it cannot be solved by 19th 
Century policies.  The beginnings of this are already clear, as the US 
Dept. of Agriculture announced this week that we have had significant 
falls in the stocks of corn, wheat and soybeans, along with an increased 
demand.

The House Oversight Committee (Rep. Henry Waxman, Chair) has just 
released a major report that details exactly how far the Bush 
Administration has gone with their political interference with the work 
on climate science. As a scientist myself, one whose current work deals 
with air quality control, I am appalled that our government has 
perpetrated this deceit on the American Public.  Under a Green Party 
administration, there would be two standards: are we getting the science 
right and are we being just in our use.

The scientific consensus is clear.  The only lack is a political 
consensus. Even as the Bush Administration's performance in Bali brings 
shame to this country, the Congressional Democrats are trying to 
green-wash themselves, hiding bad policies behind carefully scripted 
language. The Energy Bill (HR 6) recently passed by the House of 
Representatives does contain some improvements such as an increase in 
Corporate Average Fuel Standards (CAFE) for both cars and trucks; but 
not until 2020.  It also calls for a three-fold increase in the 
renewable fuel standard which will create a greater demand for ethanol 
from corn, itself a worse producer of green house gases than the 
petroleum product it would replace.

Even Sen. Obama cannot help but propose legislation that would "require 
the production of 18 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2016".  The 
words he wraps around it are all about boosting our rural economy.  It 
is just about winning votes in the Iowa primary and gaining the support 
of major agri-business contributors. Diversion of even more corn from 
our dwindling supply for the production of ethanol will drive up the 
prices of almost all our corn-derived groceries: meat, milk and many 
packaged product containing "high fructose corn syrup."

I want an improved political process that allows good candidates to run 
so that we have public officials who treat science with respect and who 
actually work to make us more secure rather than catering to their 
favorite businesses.

It is for lack of political will that we do not have solar and wind as 
the back-bone of all energy production in this nation.  If we take away 
the subsidies given to coal and nuclear, allow an even handed, true 
costing of all energy options, we will no longer be proposing new coal 
or nuclear power facilities.  Once we develop the mind-set of every 
structure being designed for energy efficiency and becoming its own 
power plant we will not need those new plants.

There is now a proposed Science Debate 2008.  I would relish the 
opportunity to challenge any of the other candidates. The debate we need 
is over energy.  The energy we need  will come when one joins the Green 
Revolution.
Register Green and Vote Green. Just be wary of green-washed candidates.

-- 
"Anytime you have an opportunity to make things better and you don't, then you are wasting your time on this Earth" Roberto Clemente

Wes Rolley
17211 Quail Court, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
http://www.refpub.com/ -- Tel: 408.778.3024