Pew Center on Global Climate Change President Discusses Kerry-Lieberman "American Power Act"

Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, recently talked about the political issues associated with the proposed American Power Act, authored by Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joseph Lieberman (Ind-Conn.). You can watch her remarks on E&E TV's "On Point" show by clicking here.

A summary of the act can be accessed by clicking here.

For those who are following the machinations of Congressional action on the legislation, this 10 minute broadcast is well worth your time.

Vast Majority of U.S. Scientists Say Global Warming Caused by Humans While Less Than Half of the American Public Agrees, New Pew Report Says

Nearly 85 percent of scientists say that global warming is being caused by human activity while less than 50 percent of the public agrees with that assessment, according to the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

In "Public Praises Science; Scientists Fault Public, Media," the Pew Center reports that 84 percent of scientists it surveyed believe the link has been made between global warming and human behavior. However, only 49 percent of the public agrees with that assessment. This finding was part of a much longer study that paints a fascinating picture of how the American public views scientists. 

I am sure similar studies have been conducted in the European Union, although I have none at my fingertips. However, my firm suspicion is that the percentage of EU scientists agreeing with their American counterparts would be about the same. However, the EU public also shares this opinion in contrast to many of their American counterparts.

This difference is played out in the very contrasting approaches the EU and the U.S. have taken to climate change policies. In the EU, all serious political parties (with almost no exceptions) favor limiting greenhouse gas emissions. And, at least from an aspirational standpoint, they are serious about enacting legislation. In the U.S., the debate about the causes of climate change go on without end in Washington and the public is divided. 

Bearing all of this in mind, my view is that a serious U.S. legislative greenhouse gas limitation measure is going to be very difficult to achieve. Too many special interests doling out too much money. In truth, Washington is awash in this money and because of the pattern of Congressional districts generally being drawn to favor one party or the other, don't hold your breathe waiting for any real middle ground to be reached.  (Has anyone in the U.S. seriously thought about proportional representation in U.S. House races?  It seems to work just fine in many other places.)

Consequently, America has in effect ceded the climate change leadership to the Europeans.  There is nothing new about this.  And perhaps that is the way it should be taking into consideration the relative ambivalence Americans seem to feel about this issue.  Let the next generation worry about it, which appears to be the new American mantra.

Significant "Upside" in Wind Energy, According to Pew Center Report

The United States could derive 20 percent of its electricity from wind by 2030 if wind turbines were installed twice as fast as the wind industry achieved in 2008.

A new report, "Wind and Solar Electricity: Challenges and Opportunities," published by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, says, "There appear to be no fundamental material, manufacturing, or labor barriers to achieving this" target.

However, additional spending of between $3 and $4 billion per year would need to be invested in the transmission system. Moreover, the report suggested that the grid can manage 20 percent of wind penetration although at a cost of about five percent of electricity generated by wind.

Growing solar-generated electricity would be more expensive than wind. Reaching a one percent solar contribution by 2030 would mean installing 900 megawatts of capacity per year.

Currently, wind and solar contribute about two percent of the entire electricity portfolio. Conventional hydro provides an additional six percent.