The GMT headed to Taylor, MI this month to participate in a Town Hall Meeting addressing the challenges of oil dependency and global warming.
The event focused on solutions that begin in Michigan, with an exciting and diverse panel that included Reverend Dr. Bob Edgar, Director of the National Council of Churches, R. James Woolsey, Former Director of the CIA; Lana Pollack, President of the Michigan Environmental Council; and Michigan Senator Raymond E. Basham, District 8.
Michigan Environmental Council President Lana Pollack kicked of the panel pointing out that the science of climate change is pretty much settled. The real question, she said, is what we're going to do to address it. Michigan has a lot at stake in this debate, both economically and ecologically, but fortunately we have Congressman John Dingell's leadership of the House Energy and Commercie committee to help us figure it out. State Senator Ray Basham echoed the urgency of the problem but suggested it presents as many opportunities as challenges. Fortunately, he stated, the things we now need to do that are good for the planet, are also good for the Michigan economy. A number of bills in the state legislature now await action.
Former CIA Director James Woolsey added national security concerns to the discussion, arguing that we will be more secure as a nation if we lesson our dependence on foreign oil. But this will require real leadership, and investment, in new energy-saving technologies, vehicles and fuels. He noted that we send $1 billion a day overseas to pay for oil, costing us jobs and economic opportunities while also providing funds to a number of unfriendly oil-producing nations. We should instead invest those billions here at home, in efficiency and renewable energy sources.
Reverend Edgar closed out the panel with another perspective on the problem. Us. How do we change our own relationships with each other and the planet in order to address these critical challenges? He reminded us that more than half of all the people that have ever lived are alive today, and that two thirds of all the oil on earth has been consumed in "our" lifetime. As our population and wealth have grown so too have our impacts on the life-sustaining capacity of the earth. He asks us to think about what our children, and our chlldren's children will say if we fail to take appropriate actions now to reduce our energy consumption.
For more info about Re-Energize America and other similar events, visit: http://www.reenergizeamerica.org/index.asp
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