Most Americans are concerned about global warming and greenhouse gas emissions, and rightly so. Most scientific organizations agree that to avoid the worst effects of climate disruption, nations of the world must achieve net-zero emissions -- or better -- by 2050 or sooner.
For many folks, this challenge is overwhelming, to the point of hopelessness. A lifestyle change to reduce impacts can help a tiny bit, but in truth, falls far short, even if we all cut back. So what to do?
Big problems require big solutions: We need to make energy production emission-free. America can help the most by identifying effective decarbonization technologies and methods, and innovating to improve these and make them cheaper, scalable and transferable to all nations. Global energy consumption will likely double or triple by 2050. Clean energy is a multi-trillion dollar market. Job creation, anyone?
We know how to innovate, but as a nation we need to step up our game and focus on solving the carbon emission problem. Public/private partnerships work. We need to increase our investment in research, development and deployment (RD&D) in this area and make the resources and expertise of our national labs and other agencies available to the private sector as much as possible. We were successful with solar and wind, resulting in the large cost reductions we see today.
Wind and solar have some inherent physical limitations (intermittency, weather dependency, backup needs, landscape requirements, etc.), so we will need additional options to succeed. Fossil fuel carbon capture and storage needs RD&D; most good hydropower sites are already developed; geothermal is site-limited, but R&D could change that; nuclear is the remaining large zero-emission option, and it alone is ready for prime time. Nuclear already produces more clean energy in the U.S. than all other zero-emission sources combined, so we need to build on that success. The big hurdle for nuclear is high capital cost, a very solvable problem -- mostly lack of construction management experience -- so let's get cracking! Ask your U.S. senator to support S. 903, the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act, which would catalyze development of advanced nuclear power.
Public investment in innovation and RD&D is crucial, but only goes so far. Businesses are understandably risk averse, and need a market signal to justify investing resources in a new technology or product. The best place to start is a slow, steadily rising price on carbon emissions, giving certainty to the clean energy market. While a carbon tax would hurt low- and middle-income families (regressive, goes into the General Fund), a carbon fee and dividend (progressive, revenue neutral) would help these families. All collected fees would be distributed equally on a per capita basis in the form of a monthly check, to spend as desired. It's estimated that 70 percent of households would break even or better. Ask your congressperson to support H.R. 763, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act.
Make the calls. Support clean energy innovation and carbon pricing. It's your smartest climate move.
Gary Kahanak
Fayetteville
Commentary on 09/21/2019