by Jonathan Hiskes
Andy Revkin’s Dot Earth blog on the New York Times site has moved from the science section to the opinion
section, to reflect Revkin’s shift from a veteran staff reporter to a freelancer. He kicks things off at his new digs by
explaining why he prefers to think about a collective “energy quest” rather than
a “climate crisis.”
“This doesn’t mean I
reject the idea that we face a climate crisis. I just don’t think that phrase
is a productive way to frame this challenge, particularly as defined over the
last few years in the
heated policy debate,” he writes.
Climate change might be
the reason for the trek, he seems to be arguing, but we complete that journey
by watching the ground at our feet and the path ahead (by developing and implementing smart energy solutions), not by fixating on the
starting point.
We’re not even
close to investing what we should be, he points out. U.S. R&D funding for energy is a pittance
compared to other areas. Here’s a sobering graph Revkin borrows from Kei
Koizumi, formerly of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy:
American Association for the Advancement of Science via Dot Earth
That doesn’t even count
military spending, shown here:
American Association for the Advancement of Science via Dot Earth
Related Links:
Northwest mountain towns become home efficiency lab
Nuclear arms reduction is better than nuclear warfare
Paul Krugman on ‘Building a Green Economy’