Oil, Climate, Politics and What We Want

Why is everything happening all together? The almost-collapse of car industry, the meltdown of housing and financial markets, health care and financial reforms, BP oil spill and the aftermath, all of which has directed public attention to the appalling role of lobbyists and interest politics on US politics and economy. Are these some kind of prophecy telling the public that this is the time for America to wake up and do a comprehensive overhaul of her whole structure if she wants to safely navigate and survive in modern times? “

Recently, a renowned actor, Robert Redford, produced a video, “The Fix: Robert Redford Reflects on the Gulf Oil Disaster,” and stated on Big Oil in his Huff Post blog post as below.

“As I try to convey in my new video, 'The Fix,' I am appalled by what this spill is doing to Gulf fishermen, families, communities and wildlife. But I am also disgusted by what it reveals about the oil industry’s role in American political life … With their deep pockets, oil companies have purchased loose safety regulations, slack oversight and support from key lawmakers. Last year alone, the industry spent a $168 million on lobbying — $16 million of which came from BP. The blowout on the Deepwater Horizon is a symptom of this undue influence.”

Thanks to ongoing efforts by so many people, like Mr. Redford, on curbing the speed of pollution and environmental degradation, we are heading toward the passage of the Clean Air Act. Just a few days ago, we heard the news that the Senate rejected Alaskan Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski’s resolution which, if had passed, would have limited the role of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in controlling carbon dioxide emission and become the major roadblock in the passage of the Clean Air Act.

How to solve American Addiction to Petroleum? Here is a simple, though partial, solution: Stimulate “American Consumerism,” “Consumption Mania” (sorry to say this) in favor of clean energy. I feel sorry for the American auto industry that has almost extinct because of their executives’ dinosaurous ways of thinking. Somebody should bring those Apple, I Pod, I Phone gentlemen to use their creativity, imagination to produce fancy smart cars of clean energy with fancy designs, fancy functions at reasonably not expensive prices.

Even you don’t have to tell public that we have to love the country, environment, support clean energy. How many times a year do people replace their cell phones with newer designs? If these cars are easily available at affordable prices, consumers’ impulse (or demand in positive sense) to buy these smart cars will solve the bulk of emission problems by itself. By that time, the oil industry will be shrinking, sinking, won’t have enough money to fund politicians of special interests. And nobody will listen to Ms. Palin’s “Drill Baby Drill” or ponder whether her bosoms are real or not.”

Let’s be clear. We don’t want to give up, sacrifice our and our kids’ chances for recovering, maintaining clean air, water, stable climate conditions, and safe living environments just to let short-sighted people’s self-indulging political or business game of denying climate change with the attitude, “What-Happens-In-Future?-Who-Cares?”. Right? I just wish to take back the old times of relaxed, comfortable living conditions. The time that high school or college diplomas brought decent salaries to easily meet living expenses. With the convenience of modern gadgets. And with the benefits of clean air, water and safe living environment. Don’t you want them?

Resources:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjlbmYx4HdQ&feature=player_embedded

The Fix: Dirty Energy’s Undue Influence on American Political Life