By: Politico

In 1988, NASA scientist James Hansen testified before Congress that “global warming has reached a level such that we can ascribe with a high degree of confidence a cause-and-effect relationship between the greenhouse effect and observed warming.” The science behind that statement is today irrefutable. So, too, is the fundamental environmental and economic logic behind measures to combat climate change.

This summer’s extreme weather events and record energy prices warn us that we must quickly switch from high-carbon, high-priced fossil fuels to low-carbon, low-cost renewable energy. This year’s record oil, gasoline, coal and natural gas prices are draining the wallets of middle and low-income Americans. And at the macroeconomic level, the effects of global warming will exact a huge economic cost — an estimated 5 percent to 20 percent of annual global gross domestic product.

While the president and conservatives in Congress continue to push an energy agenda that does the bidding of Big Oil, a bipartisan group of elected officials and business leaders is meeting to figure out the next steps towards energy independence. The National Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas, being held Monday and Tuesday, will likely offer several proposals that the next president should use to help speed this energy transformation.

First of all, we must use electricity and oil much more efficiently. Power that we don’t need to produce is the cheapest, cleanest energy source. McKinsey and Co. estimates that increased efficiency could reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by over 1.5 billion tons by 2030 through improvements in buildings, appliances and transportation fuels, with almost 40 percent of these reductions generating “positive economic returns over their lifecycle.”

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That’s why a program to weatherize 1 million low-income households annually would both reduce fuel bills and save energy. On the road, too, we can require significantly more fuel-efficient transportation. For instance, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles can travel 100 miles or more on a gallon of gas. Extension of federal tax incentives for renewable energy and efficiency would help reap these benefits, yet conservative senators have blocked them for over a year.

This September, when Congress returns, conservatives must remove their roadblocks so that Congress can grant long-term extensions of tax incentives for wind, solar and geothermal energy, efficiency and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Congress can pay for these incentives by eliminating $15 billion in tax breaks for big oil companies.

The adoption of a national renewable electricity standard, which 26 states have, would also help speed the transition away from expensive fossil fuels. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, a 20 percent national renewable electricity standard by 2020 would create 185,000 jobs, reduce energy bills by $10.5 billion, and slash greenhouse gases by 223 million metric tons a year.

Together, these efficiency and renewable energy provisions would significantly reduce the use of oil, coal and natural gas. These measures should be combined with a carbon cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and other major sources, and help pay for the transition to a low-carbon economy. They would save consumers billions of dollars and reduce greenhouse gas pollution by millions of tons. And they would create millions of good jobs.

Daniel J. Weiss is a senior fellow and director of climate strategy at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

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