The Abrams Clean Tech Report

 

100% Renewable in 10 Years: It Will Come To Pass

Thursday, July 17th, 2008

Yep, Gore threw the gauntlet down today at D.A.R. Constitution Hall in an event hosted by the “We” Campaign (for those of you who aren’t aware, “We” is a fast-growing organization focused on solutions to the climate crisis, and the work of the Alliance for Climate Protection, a nonprofit group founded by Al Gore, who currently serves as the chairman of the bipartisan board of directors).

While I took lots of notes, I don’t type quite as fast as I’d like so I’m enclosing a transcript of Gore’s speech here.

A couple of key quotes:

Gore noted – “I for one do not believe our country can withstand 10 more years of the status quo. Our families cannot stand 10 more years of gas price increases. Our workers cannot stand 10 more years of job losses and outsourcing of factories. Our economy cannot stand 10 more years of sending $2 billion every 24 hours to foreign countries for oil. And our soldiers and their families cannot take another 10 years of repeated troop deployments to dangerous regions that just happen to have large oil supplies.”

I’ll second that.

“It is only a truly dysfunctional system that would buy into the perverse logic that the short-term answer to high gasoline prices is drilling for more oil ten years from now.”

I’ll second that as well.

I can assert that in 10 years, we will see this statement come to pass just based on the kinds of companies and the entrepreneurs I know are out there, and with whom I have the privilege of speaking weekly. The technologies are there, and the tide is only rising faster to push aside outmoded thinking and thinkers. Just this morning I had a briefing with a company that is going to change the way you think about energy usage and management in your homes, here in the U.S. It won’t take ten years even for this company to get where it needs to go, actually…it’ll happen faster. Much faster. And there is a WHOLE step-change in technologies available today, that you will indeed see transform energy markets as we know them, and dramatically so, within these 10 years. Why?

Because we have a whole global economy stepping onto carbon-free fuels. And doing so in record time.

So Gore’s right about ten years. Why? That’s about all we need to make this happen. It’s very, very, very doable.

Anyway, I must insist that you read this speech by Gore. It’s worth it. If for nothing else than to cheer you up, if you’re having a bad day.

And with that – I’ll leave you with one last quote from Gore’s speech: “To those who say the challenge is not politically viable: I suggest they go before the American people and try to defend the status quo. Then bear witness to the people’s appetite for change….”

I think that about says it all. Hope everyone has a good Friday.

About the “We” Campaign: The “We” Campaign is a commercial-scale organizing and mobilizing effort using paid advertising, grassroots partnerships and online activation to build strong support for solutions to the climate crisis. The scale of the campaign is unprecedented: it is on track to be the largest public policy advocacy campaign ever and expects to reach 10 million members within three years. For all of you who haven’t joined, please visit www.wecansolveit.org.

One Response to “100% Renewable in 10 Years: It Will Come To Pass”

  1. FatFighter Says:
    July 24th, 2008 at 7:17 pm

    I totally agree – there is a big appetite for change. You can see it everywhere – people are really doing things to make a difference.

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