书城外语在耶鲁听演讲
12239600000008

第8章 根据经验找到环保良策(3)

So anyway,the third thing that I want to mention is the attitude of the public,the politicians and also the special interests.The geopolitics of global climate change has been deadlocked.We all know that.The U.S.says that China and India should be covered by carbon limits and China and India say that we should go first because we are the biggest polluters in the world.But I think the deadlock is about to be broken.President McCain,President Obama,President Clinton I think will all shift this country into a much higher gear when it comes to climate change.As a matter of fact,I"m very happy to say that all three candidates will be great for the environment.So things will immediately pick up,pick up speed after the inauguration day,I know that for sure.

But let me tell you something that will surprise you.I don"t know if many of you know,but I"m sure you do know the cable TV show called"Myth Busters."You know that show?It"s two funny,weird guys who go around trying to see if various different myths are actually true,like dropping from a hundred feet into the water,does it have the same impact as dropping by a hundred feet on the concrete or cement.Or if you drop a penny from theEmpire State Building and it hits below someone on the head,does the penny really go through someone"s skull.That"s thekind of crazy things that they try to prove.And I love that dummy that they"re using.I mean,he is really getting beaten up.He should actually go into politics,that"s what I suggest.

Well,I"ve got a myth for those guys to investigate,because we hear all the time thatbusinesses and Republicans are the obstacle to progress on renewable energy and on greenhouse gases while the environmental activists and Democrats are absolutely perfect and create no obstacle at all.Well,I say this is a myth.

First,major companies like DuPont and G.E.and Wal?Mart and BP are convinced of the need for change and mainstream Republicans are finally coming around,too.They realize that green,clean technology creates jobs,extra revenues and stimulates the economy.But the important point I want to make is that environmental activists and Democrats many times are just as much an obstacle in moving forward.Rhetorically,of course,they love to talk about renewable energy and geothermal and wind all those kind of things.But many times we have seen they are trying to slow down the approval process.It"s kind of a schizophrenic behavior.They say that we want renewable energy but we don"t want you to put it anywhere,we don"t want you to use it.

One energy expert the other day said that the California Mojave desert which is a vast space with thousands of square miles is one of the best spots on planet earth for solar power plants.Pacific Gas &Electric wants to put three huge solar plants right there.And the whole world?The Germans,The French,The Canadians,The Japanese?They all want to come out to California and put solar power plants in the Mojave desert and in other places.The only thing is that the problem is getting that new energyto the power grid because of environmental hurdles.

San Diego Gas &Electric wants to develop solar geothermal fields in Imperial Valley and build 150miles of transmission lines to go and take this power right into San Diego,but it faces opposition even though it would replace an old carbon?Based power plant.

So the point I"m making is it"s not just businesses that have slowed things down,it"s not just Republicans that have slowed things down,it"s also Democrats and also environmental activists sometimes that slow things down.

And even my own agency that I"m supposed to be the head of and the boss of I found out is slowing things down.Now,this gets very complicated,I tell you.For example,our Department of Fish and Game is slowing approval of a solar facility in Victorville.It"s because of an endangered squirrel,an endangered squirrel which has never been seen on that land where they"re supposed to build the solar plants.But if such a squirrel were around,this is the kind of area that it would like,they say.

Now,the department wants the power company to buy three acres of land to protect these little creatures for every acre of solar land that is being used so that the squirrel could be saved if it exists.So a squirrel that may not exist is holding up environmental progress on a larger and more pressing fight against global warming.What they have here is a case of environmental regulations holding up environmental progress.I don"t know whether this is ironic or absurd.But,I mean,if we cannot put solar power plants in the Mojave desert,I don"t know where the hell we can put it.(Applause)Ladies and gentlemen,this is the real world.We have to make some trade?

offs.I think both the environmental activists and their opponents cannot let "perfect"become the enemy of"possible,"because the fact ofthe matter is nothing is perfect.Solar still needs transmission lines.Battery electric cars still need chemicals in the batteries and electricity to recharge them.Hydrogen cars still need a fuel currently made largely from natural gas.Nuclear power,which is very clean,still has waste that must be storedsomewhere.Biofuels from corn?based ethanol and palm oil still needs to be controlled so we don"t have deforestation all over the world.

So as one of my environmental friends and advisers said:There are no silver bullets,only silver buckshot.We need to find creative ways to overcome those obstacles.There"s no two ways about it.Neither business nor environmentalists nor Republicans nor Democrats can be set in their ways.I suggest to them:Relax,exhale,just exhale and relax and let things move forward.