http://www.momscleanairforce.org/2012/05/08/military-fights-global-warming/
Is
the Navy greener than
As more polls show that
a majority of
Americans want action
on carbon pollution and global warming, leadership on fighting climate change
is coming from surprising places--starting with the military.
At a recent reception held by Environmental Defense Fund
in
Panetta explained that his Department of Defense is
facing a budget shortfall of more than $3 billion because of unexpected fuel
costs. "I have a deep interest in more sustainable and efficient energy
options," he said.
Secretary Panetta went on to describe how the U. S. military will be called on
for humanitarian assistance in the face of rising seas, longer droughts, and
more frequent and the severe natural disasters that are a result of global
warming.
Secretary Panetta was followed on the podium by
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, who has served since May 2009. In 1987, the
Harvard-trained lawyer became the youngest governor in the nation when he won
office in
He emphasized that "drilling alone will never solve our national security concerns
over foreign oil." Mabus
went on to announce that the Navy has made a commitment to get 50% of its
energy from renewable sources, like biofuels, solar and wind, by 2025. That's
the most ambitious goal for renewable energy in the country--higher even than
Mabus pointed out that the Navy has always led in
pioneering new sources of fuel, whether it was from moving from sail to coal in
the 1850s, to oil in the 20 th century, and nuclear energy in the 1950s. "Every time, there were doubters and naysayers," he said forcefully. "Every time. And every single time, they were wrong and they will
be wrong again this time."
Mabus vigorously countered the argument that renewable
energy is more expensive. "Well
of course it is! Every new technology is more expensive. What if we hadn't
started using computers because they were more expensive than typewriters? What
if we hadn't started using cell phones because they were more expensive than
land lines? Where would we be?"
Both Panetta and Mabus are on the front lines again--in a
battle that will help us curb carbon emissions and lead us to energy
independence. Anyone want to join the notoriously craven science deniers at the Heartland Institute in their claim that any leader who
fights global warming is no better than tyrants and killers like Charles
Manson, Osama bin Laden and Unabomber Kacyznski?
Go
ahead. Make Secretary Mabus' day.
