US health care is not the only issue that might suffer from the stunning defeat of US Democrats' in the special election to replace Teddy Kennedy's senate seat.
With the loss of a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, the chances of having US climate change legislation that both caps greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and puts a price on GHG emissions appears abysmal. A recent editorial in the NY Times briefly lays out some of the reasons that the US Congress must pass a climate change bill.
However, the NY Times fails to mention an issue dear to the heart of this blog: technology. The US taxpayer has invested tens of billions of dollars in climate change-related technology research through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), colloquially known as the "US stimulus bill." These investments include:
- Smart grid development (US$ 11 Billion)
- Establishing an Office of Federal High Performance Green Buildings (US$ 4 Billion)
- Local and State investments in clean energy (US$ 6.3 Billion)
- Carbon Capture Experiments (US$ 3.4 Billion)
- Upgrading housing and infrastructure (US$ 14 Billion)
- Renewable Energy Research, unspecified (US$ 2.5 Billion)
- Electric Vehicle Research and Purchase (US$ 2-3 Billion)
- Geothermal Energy Research (US$ 0.4 Billion)
- Funding for various government research institutions (US$ 8.9 Billion)
As a return on this investment, US politicians - Democrats, Independents and Republicans, alike - must ensure that there is a market for these technologies, once developed.
America should take the lead in climate change legislation. This commitment would encourage other countries to take similar steps, helping to expand markets for US technologies, potentially reducing US trade deficits. It would ensure that US investments result in a competitive advantage, thereby securing US domestic jobs at a time of double-digit unemployment. US climate legislation will encourage the US private sector - one of the world's most innovative in the world - to continue to invest in environmentally-sound technology research. Most importantly, it is vital to preventing a global humanitarian crisis in many small-island states and developing countries who face the increasing risk of droughts, floods and other disasters.
The situation in Haiti reminds us all that precaution and prevention is a worth-while investment. It is time that the US Congress ensures that there is a return on the investment in climate-related technologies.
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