Security and Economic Benefits to Green Energy Realized, yet still no National Legislation
Late last week, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced a new Department of Homeland Security task force and outlined its responsibilities:
identifying and assessing the impact that climate change could have on the missions and operations of the Department of Homeland Security.
The Department of Defense has, for years now, included climate change in its planning and strategy formation. And as I wrote in August, green energy can save lives in the battlefield, specifically here: in Afghanistan.
The national and homeland security community appear to have deemed climate change and its associated affects a viable threat worth paying attention to and planning for.
Furthermore, states –more states have Energy Efficiency Resource Standards in place than not–and private businesses–including a great many (nearly 15%) of the Fortune 500–have enacted policies, implementing renewable standards and green energy, indicating a recognition of the economic gains achieved through such changes.
Yet, despite proven benefits and money saved, we still lack national climate change legislation. Though the policies described above are certainly positive steps, we, unfortunately, will not see the optimal level of economic gains and the necessary reductions in carbon emissions until we do pass strong national legislation. According to Pew, America will not realize its full economic potential if we do not pass, at the national level, something superior to both current renewable energy policies and those discussed in Copenhagen.
