No, really
After Election, Republicans Must Prepare their own Climate Policy
The Republicans have won a clear victory. They will take over the Senate, expand their control of the House, and deserve congratulations for their win.
Now, it is time to govern. The challenges that this country faces are long. And governing is different than campaigning. It means dealing with problems as they come – and not always in what fits best in a 30 second advertisement.
After this election, climate change is an issue that Republicans may think they are safe to ignore. The President has made a big push to regulate carbon emissions through the EPA over the last two years. Some outside groups sought to bring climate action into the campaign. Today, the electoral results could not be more clear: Obama’s policies were repudiated at the polls. Throughout the election, Democrats in swing districts went out of their way to avoid talking about climate change or the EPA.
Republicans could think that they are safe to continue saying “I’m not a scientist†when asked about climate change. They could think this means they don’t need a climate policy. That would be the wrong lesson to take from this.
President Obama’s policies on climate change are all wrong. His Department of Energy picks winners and losers among politically connected companies. His command-and-control policies at the EPA will ensure that “no lawyer is left behind†in a flurry of lawsuits over where to build power plants, and what kind of production is allowed.
However, that does not mean that not action is needed. The science has never been clearer. The threat has never been higher. On Sunday, the world’s climate scientists released their summary report, giving a dire warning of “severe, widespread and irreversible†effects from climate change. It had no effect on the election.
I didn’t realize that the election was all about “climate change”, and that winning means the GOP, what with the ass-whooping they put on Obama and the Dems, have to embrace solutions to the 18+ years of no statistically significant warming.
Here’s where it does get interesting
Fortunately, chemistry does not care about partisan politics. Republicans can actually be more effective in preparing for climate change by doing what we do best: embracing free markets, promoting breakthrough technologies, and devolving power to states and local governments. We don’t need Obama’s Cap and Trade plan. We don’t need to suddenly embrace the EPA or other big government solutions. We don’t need to give taxpayer dollars to politically connected industries.
Instead, Republicans should promote basic research and development into clean technology that will allow the private sector to effectively reduce emissions. They should devolve power to states and local governments to most effectively prepare for the effects of climate change, because the federal government shouldn’t give a one-sized fits all response. They should see that free markets have decided that solar and wind power is the cheapest new source of energy in some markets – but big monopoly utilities are blocking it. There are Republican solutions to climate change – and this year is our opportunity to force President Obama to take a new, conservative, and more effective track on addressing climate change.
Wait, didn’t I write something similar in yesterday’s post on National Geographic? We do not have to do this for “climate change” reasons, but the need to expand the economy and look towards the future, to create more energy, which can hopefully be cleaner than current “alternatives” are. There is nothing wrong with doing this. The end results of energy independence with cleaner energy and leading the world would be a good thing. Oh, and pushing power back to the States, where it belongs.
I’d love to see R&D into the use of alternatives – wind, solar, hydrothermal, geothermal, etc – for small use, for individual buildings, especially homes, rather than these giant wind and solar projects.
But why? Global warming is a hoax, CO2 is good for plants, the climate is always changing, almost all warming and cooling is natural, acid rain is solved… Why do you want the government involved at all? What is the problem you’re trying to solve?
Now that the Repubicans are in charge you want to give taxpayer monies to Repubican contributors? Is that it?
As most people know, one of the great engines of any economy is energy. That is why conservatives and Republicans have pressed for more power plants and more drilling while seeking alternative energy sources.
Liberals such as yourself, on the other hand, have sought to limit energy and in doing so have hurt the poor and middle class. So much for your stated position of “looking out for the little guy.”
You look at this totally different from conservatives because as we see in your own life and company, while you demand that others give things away, you want to keep them for yourself and make money off of them. As usual, you’re a hypocrite.
But for conservatives we believe that if the government gives a grant for energy, what is discovered becomes within the public domain. Liberals, on the other hand, want to benefit their own kind and if they cannot, they want to steal the ideas and technologies of others.
So you don’t have a plausible answer. OK.
Do you think the taxpayers should pay for this?