Obama rears his head at climate summit

President-elect Obama shows his support for Governor Schwarzenegger's bi-partisan governors climate summit:

Among the notable quotables:

My presidency will mark a new chapter in America’s leadership on climate change that will strengthen our security and create millions of new jobs in the process.

That will start with a federal cap and trade system. We will establish strong annual targets that set us on a course to reduce emissions to their 1990 levels by 2020 and reduce them an additional 80% by 2050.

To quote James Surowiecki, "remind me again why this guy has to wait two months to become President."

Comments

[John Whitehead]

I get the energy security part but how are the jobs created. Does EDF have a position on this?

[Gernot Wagner]

There's no "EDF position" per se, but several reports point into this direction:

Deutsche Bank's Economic Stimulus: The Case for "Green" Infrastructure, Energy Security and "Green" Jobs (November 2008)

Duke's Manufacturing Climate Solutions (with EDF as a co-sponsor)

Then, of course, there's Van Jones's book on The Green Collar Economy

Essentially, the message is the same everywhere: energy efficient buildings, efficient transport infrastructures, renewable power, a smart grid require lots of investments and create large numbers of jobs.

[BLyons]

Just spotted online that a new initiative called The Digital Energy Solutions Campaign launched today at the Smart2020 Conference. The group is made up IT firms and Environmental organizations who "will work with the incoming Obama Administration and Congressional leaders to educate and promote how ICT strategies can make our economy robust while at the same time becoming increasingly energy efficient and environmentally friendly." Members include Dell, EMC, HP, Intel, the Technology CEO Council, Verizon, the Alliance to Save Energy, The Climate Group, and the World Wildlife Fund. They've also “outlined a policy framework to make private industries and government more energy efficient, create behavior changes to make us more energy efficient and reduce ICT’s energy needs.” More info at http://www.behindthegreen.org/blog/?storyId=23913

[joshua corning]

Obama's plan sort of looks like a 1999 dotcom start up:

1. Take money from profitable industries.

2. Give money to unprofitable industries.

3. ????

4. Profit.

This is going to end badly.