A panel of energy analysts met Thursday to discuss the need for
a renewed perspective on the world’s current energy
challenges during the UCLA Anderson Forecast’s quarterly
conference.
They emphasized the need for breakthroughs in finding
alternative energy sources and a redefined attitude toward the fuel
crisis.
John Podesta, the keynote speaker and CEO of the Center for
American Progress, said the United States is facing severe energy
threats that can no longer be ignored.
“The U.S. gets more than 60 percent of its oil from
foreign sources, which is diminishing our ability to exercise
global leadership and keep our country safe,” Podesta said.
“Foreign oil is the lifeblood to our economy and (is) our
greatest threat.”
Podesta warned against perpetuating Americans’ current
energy habits, noting that the United States already generates 45
percent of the world’s automobile carbon dioxide emissions.
He said Americans can reduce fossil fuel emissions by converting to
alternative energy fuels for their cars, which many businesses are
beginning to invest in.
“This morning I drove here in a biodiesel car, but there
are almost no stations in California where I could stop to fill up
the tank,” Podesta said.
Biodiesel is a fuel made from vegetable oil that runs in any
unmodified diesel engine.
But Severin Borenstein, director of the UC Energy Institute and
a professor at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, said
that alternative forms of fuel are difficult to use for
transportation, as they store energy inefficiently.
“One of the most efficient ways to store energy in
portable matter is gas,” Borenstein said. “We need to
find an alternative portable storage of energy for transportation
purposes.”
Podesta said the United States is lagging behind other countries
in terms of energy efficiency, as only six percent of the
country’s energy resources are renewable.
As a result, global warming has already contributed to
destructive hurricanes, rising sea levels, thousands of deaths
related to heat waves, and the near loss of significant landmarks,
Podesta said.
Possible solutions to current energy problems include capturing
solar and wind energy, as well as using the heat stores in the
crust of the Earth and discovering new sources of alternative
energy.
Podesta added that these changes in energy usage should be
implemented at the state, national and international levels.
California already has demonstrated its awareness of the energy
crisis, as it was the first state in the nation to pass legislation
to regulate carbon dioxide emissions, Podesta said.
On Sept. 1, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation
capping greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.
“California led the way in the information revolution. Now
it is poised to lead the way in the technological revolution for
finding alternative fuels,” Podesta said.
Podesta discussed Proposition 87, which will appear on the
ballot for the Nov. 7 election and which would establish a $4
billion program to reduce oil and gas usage by 25 percent over 10
years.
But Borenstein expressed dissatisfaction that proponents of
Proposition 87 advertise that the program will not cost people
anything, but rather will tax oil companies.
“We need to live up to the reality that energy is
expensive and we will have to give up something to make a
significant difference,” Borenstein said.
He said that the world is facing three energy source challenges:
cost-efficient supply, environmental effects and geopolitical
ramifications. Currently, he said, U.S. politicians are too
concerned with the first challenge, and by attempting to keep
energy costs as low as possible they lose sight of the latter two
costs of global warming.
Rather than focus on the monetary challenges of alternative
energy sources, Borenstein said Americans should concentrate on
recognizing the wide-reaching environmental effects of using fossil
fuels in order for the country to move toward using renewable
energy sources.
“If we continue to go down the road where costs are the
No. 1 priority, then fossil fuels will win. We will not recognize
that there are other costs of using energy, such as the enormous
environmental and geopolitical costs,” Borenstein said.
“But if we acknowledge this, we can find alternative energy
sources that are more cost-effective on a larger and more
comprehensive scale.”