EXPERTS: DON’T
BE FOOLED! RENEWABLE ENERGY, INCREASED ENERGY-EFFICIENCY AND OTHER CLIMATE-CHANGE SOLUTIONS ARE KEY
TO THE FUTURE ECONOMY OF MICHIGAN
“Prebuttal”
Held by Michigan, National Experts to Debunk
Climate-Change Denial, “Economic Alarmism” Expected at Tuesday
Chamber Event in Detroit; Fear Mongers Ignore
Huge “Green Job” Potential of 60,000 or More for Michigan.
DETROIT, MI.///November 17, 2008///Michigan’s
economy could be substantially buoyed by 60,000 or more “green
jobs” in response to renewable energy production, increased energy-efficiency
measures and other climate-change solutions, according to Michigan and national
experts from such organizations as the American Council for an Energy Efficient
Economy (ACEEE) and the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise at the
University of Michigan.
The experts cautioned business leaders, policy makers and
the news media to take with a grain of salt the expected denial of global
warming science and “economic alarmism” likely to be central themes
at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event to be held Tuesday in Detroit. For more
information on what is wrong with such fear mongering, go to http://www.CO2MediaGuide.org.
In the wake of an election that makes action on climate
change more likely, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is holding a series of events
across the United States
to minimize concerns about global warming and also to promote alarmist claims
about the economic implications of taking action to curb climate change. In
doing so, the Chamber ignores the solid scientific consensus that global
warming is both real and that it demands immediate action by policymakers. The
Chamber also makes job and tax-related claims that have been thoroughly debunked
and which totally ignore the considerable employment and economy-boosting
potential of green job creation, increased energy efficiency and
climate-related scientific and other innovation.
Dr. Martin Kushler, director of the Utilities Program at the American
Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, said: ”The claim that taking steps to address climate change would be bad
for the economy is simply not true. We know from proven experience that we can
save electricity through energy efficiency programs at one-third the cost of a
new power plant. With a strong energy efficiency policy we can save money and
reduce carbon emissions at the same time.”
Dr. Andrew Hoffman, associate professor of management &
organizations, associate professor of natural resources and associate director
of the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise, University of Michigan,
said: "Think of reductions in
greenhouse gas emissions as a market shift, one driven by regulations at the
city, state, national and international levels. But one also driven by
consumer, investor, insurance and energy markets. Any company executive
who ignores these shifts does so at their peril."
National Resources Defense Council Climate
Campaign Director Pete Altman said: "Detroit
is just the latest stop in the Chamber of Commerce’s Chicken Little
road show to gin up worries about efforts to solve our energy and climate
problems. On display at these events are scientific misinterpretation and
economic misunderstanding."
The experts pointed to the growing body of data pointing to
huge benefits for Michigan’s
economy associated with dealing with the consequences and solutions to climate
change:
·
Michigan could be a leading U.S.
source of alternative energy. Michigan has the
potential to become a big player in offshore wind energy, so says a new report
released in October 2008 by the Land Policy Institute (LPI) at Michigan State
University (MSU). The preliminary analysis finds that Michigan's
portion of the Great Lakes has the capacity to
produce 321,936 Megawatts of electricity from wind energy, a portion of which
could be developed once depth, technology, view and environmental concerns are
considered. Michigan's
onshore wind potential was previously estimated at approximately 16,500
megawatts. The information provided by the new LPI report shows much more
substantial opportunities for offshore wind energy. (See http://www.landpolicy.msu.edu/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=71.)
·
More than 60,000 jobs in Michigan could be created under a
“green recovery program.” This is based on a September 2008 University of
Massachusetts-Amherst report outlines a green economic recovery program to
strengthen the U.S. economy over the next two years and leave it in a better
position for sustainable prosperity. In the pages that follow, we detail how to
expand job opportunities by stimulating economic growth, stabilizing the price
of oil, and making significant strides toward fighting global warming and
building a green, low-carbon economy. According to the report, this green job
surge would have reduced unemployment in the state by more than 1 full
percentage point. (See http://www.environmentamerica.org/uploads/oI/Md/oIMd-4C-PFkED6ITtOlzbQ/peri_report.pdf.)
·
Up to 10,000 jobs will be created in the
state through increased energy efficiency. On October 7,
2008, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm signed legislation that
sets mandatory energy savings goals for the state's electric and gas utilities.
‘This legislation represents a significant achievement for Michigan, which has had
no utility energy efficiency resource programs since 1995,’ said ACEEE
Utilities Program Director Dr. Martin Kushler. A 2007 ACEEE study (http://www.aceee.org/pubs/e07x.htm)
coauthored by Dr. Kushler found that energy efficiency can actually reduce
overall electricity costs, boost net employment, and reduce air pollutants
within the state. The report found that greater energy productivity would
result in a net annual employment increase in Michigan of between 3,900 and 10,000 jobs
(depending on the level of energy efficiency policy pursued). (See http://www.aceee.org/press/0810michigan.htm
for more details.)
CONTACT: Leslie Anderson, (703) 276-3256 or landerson@hastingsgroup.com.
EDITOR’S
NOTE: A streaming audio
recording of this Michigan
news event will be available on the Web as of 6 p.m. ET on November 17, 2008 at
http://www.nrdc.org .