Highlights from Gov. O’Malley’s presentation on 100% clean energy. To learn more about the “New Energy Narrative” click here.
Governor O’Malley delivered a clear call to action on Monday for Americans to make bold strides towards a clean energy future in his talk at Green Builder Media’s second annual Sustainability Symposium in Orlando.
The former Maryland governor outlined both the macro trends driving the transition to clean energy as well as the major policies and cultural shift necessary to accelerate it and capitalize on the “greatest business opportunity to come to the United States in a hundred years.”
For O’Malley, there are two primary questions for America to answer: one is a question of engineering, the other political.
The answer to the first question, “Can we make the technical transition happen quickly enough?” is a resounding “yes” for O’Malley. The economic and technological trends driving the progress of renewable energy in America are both awe-inspiring and becoming increasingly apparent to citizens across the country. Included in the list is the rapid deployment of utility-scale wind and solar power, as well as the arrival of rooftop solar and electric vehicles into mainstream markets.
The second question—”Can we seize the opportunities of the energy transition?” received an equally emphatic “yes”. O’Malley outlined the necessary policies that must be put in place—including a revenue-neutral tax on carbon, a shift of subsidies away from fossil fuels, and a “clean energy job corps”. He also underscored the underlying change in the public narrative around energy that is enabling a cultural and political environment that can support the necessary shifts in policy to make the transition to a 100% clean energy future.
Spreading this “new energy narrative” is the core mission here at Generation180. It involves leaving behind the obsolete script around climate change of doom, denial, and dependency and embracing a new perspective that acknowledges the reality of our progress and moves individuals from apathy to action. Individual action is vitally important in the present moment, O’Malley notes, as “our individual and our collective actions as citizens of our cities, as citizens of our states, is going to have to carry this ball…”
“Our destination is clear—couldn’t be clearer,” O’Malley concluded. “Now we have to determine the speed with which we get there.”
To learn more from Generation 180 about the “New Energy Narrative” check out this video.
