Gore lays out a five step solution to our environmental and energy crisis

November 10, 2008

This is the second of two posts about Al Gore’s op-ed in the NYTimes regarding our energy policy and the environment.  In our previous post we looked at Gore’s description of the problem, in this one we will look at his five point plan to completely eliminate fossil fuels from our electricity generation within 10 years.  The following are Gore’s five steps:

First, the federal government needs to offer “large-scale investment in incentives for the construction of concentrated solar thermal plants in the Southwestern deserts, wind farms in the corridor stretching from Texas to the Dakotas and advanced plants in geothermal hot spots that could produce large amounts of electricity.”

Second, we need to built a smart transmission grid to transport this renewable energy from the rural areas where it is generated to the population centers where it is used.

Third, the government should support the big (Detroit) and little (Silicon Valley) automakers to convert and build product lines that are plug-in hybrids.  And the electricity these cars would be powered with would be generated from renewable sources, per step one above.  Additionally, this nationwide fleet of electric hybrid cars would allow for electricity storage for use during peak hours.  (Most cars would be charged at night when the strain on the grid is low, and then plugged back into the system during peak daytime hours to help contribute electricity back into the grid.)

Fourth, we should drastically increase the insulation and efficiency of our buildings since approximately 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States come from buildings.

Fifth, and finally, the US “should lead the way by putting a price on carbon here at home, and by leading the world’s efforts to replace the Kyoto treaty next year in Copenhagen with a more effective treaty that caps global carbon dioxide emissions and encourages nations to invest together in efficient ways to reduce global warming pollution quickly, including by sharply reducing deforestation.” 

Sounds good to us.

How to ForceChange: go to WeCanSolveIt.org and sign up to show your support for the ten year plan, and make sure our incoming politicians know that we want fundamental change.

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