Showing posts with label two visions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label two visions. Show all posts

Merkel and Harper: Two Opposing Visions of the Future

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's official state visit with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper highlights the stark contrast between the two heads of state. The have vastly different views on the environment and are leading their respective countries in diametrically opposed energy directions. Germany is a country that has invested heavily in renewable sources of energy while the Canadian government under Conservative leader Stephen Harper, has gutted environmental funding and invested in the tar sands, arguably the world's dirtiest oil project.

Merkel has been a champion of GHG reduction since the mid-1990s, when she was Germany's environment minister. At that time she brought together world leaders to try to limit GHGs. She was instrumental in getting everyone on board the Berlin Mandate of 1995, an agreement that eventually lead to the signing of the Kyoto Protocol two years later.

The Kyoto protocol is but one illustration of the Harper government's contempt for the environment. They have also worked to undermine global COP negotiations in Durban in 2011, they passed Bill C-38 which essentially emasculated the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and deprived scientists of funding.

Merkel plans to attend a meeting on climate science in Halifax, while Harper will be predictably absent.

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Romney's Coal Fired Campaign Versus Obama's Wind Power

The election of 2012 offers the stark contrast between fossil fuels like coal and clean renewable energy. Obama Supports wind power while Romney supports energy derived from coal. Each candidate offers a different conception of America's energy future. Romney wants to see even more fossil fuel being burned while Obama wants to grow renewable sources of energy like windthat have no emissions.

The President derided Romney's stance on wind power while Romney said Obama is waging a "war on coal." The Obama administration through the EPA has enacted regulations on new power plants that make it harder to build new highly polluting coal-fired plants.

While Republicans talk about "unshackling Wall Street," Biden said GOP lawmakers would put them "back in chains" by getting rid of financial industry regulations.

Romney, promised to make the US energy independent, and abundant American coal along with dirty tar sands oil from Canada, could make this possible. However the price will be a dramatic increase in already unsustainable greenhouse gases. Which in turn will lead to runaway climate change.

By contrast, Obama is also seeking to stop giving $4 billion in taxpayer subsidies each year to big oil companies and keep investing in renewable sources of energy like wind.

Iowa gets 20 percent of its electricity from wind power and the wind industry has created between 6,000 and 7,000 jobs in Iowa area. 

While Romney has opposed extending the alternative energy credits, he is opposed by Iowa Republicans like Gov. Terry Branstad and Sen. Charles Grassley who want to keep the credits. Even Republicans can see the value of investments in renewable energy.

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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