Despite what you may have read recently, global climate change is real, and yes, it’s as bad as the Al Gores and James Hansens of the world make it out to be. Even the staunchest of Republicans, including George W. Bush and Newt Gingrich, have come around to the fact that global climate change exists and human intervention must occur. Of course, like all issues, there are disagreements.

The oil-loving right-wingers, for example, believe that we have some time to waste until we truly need to start switching to clean energies, and in the mean time, they believe that it would be beneficial to the economy to drill off the coasts of the U.S. Unfortunately, relying solely on offshore drilling in the short term will diminish our sense of urgency throughout the American conscious and economic markets alike. All of which would slow the advances we have already made in clean energy technologies. In an ideal world, alternative energies research would have priority in United States, but sadly, this isn’t the case.

Currently, there is a bill in the Senate that has been voted on eight times (eight!) that would extend tax credits to wind and solar industries. If this bill does not pass, there will be a standstill of wind and solar projects in the United States. It is quite absurd, considering even George W. Bush claims we’re addicted to oil, yet the simplest of incentives to promote clean energy is being passed over time and again. This shows that with out the top to bottom changes in energy standards and regulations to encourage (if not force) this change, there will be nothing to change the status quo. Which frankly, in the long run, would be beyond irresponsible, it would be catastrophic.

Mike Musinski

Senior in ACES