Securing America with clean energy

This week breathed new life into the discussion around clean energy and climate in Washington, D.C. In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama declared that “the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy. And America must be that nation.”
 
At the Clean Energy, Jobs and Security Forum on Capitol Hill, top administration officials Secretaries Steven Chu and Carol Browner, along with Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) all reiterated their commitment to action on clean energy and climate. I had the honor of introducing Sen. Kerry, and I stood proudly with over 100 colleagues from 17 states to push for clean energy solutions for America.
 
Moving to clean energy will strengthen our national security, while growing our economy by creating new jobs and new opportunities. It will also reduce our dependence on oil and cut carbon pollution.
 
There is no doubt we rely heavily on oil. We are sending approximately $1 billion per day overseas, instead of investing it at home. Portions of this money go to 10 countries on the Department of State’s travel warning list, including Algeria, Chad, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Syria. Are these nations that we want to hand our national security?
 
Many of these countries are politically unstable and some have ties to terrorist organizations, forcing us to make difficult choices between our energy needs and national security interests. For example, for every $5 rise in the price of a barrel of crude oil, the gross annual revenue of Iran increases $7.9 billion annually. Richard Holbrooke pointed out that it is this oil money from the Middle East that funds the same al Qaeda terrorists our soldiers are fighting around the world. For every gallon of gasoline Americans pump, our adversaries in Afghanistan, Iran and elsewhere are being strengthened.
 
The global impacts of climate change are threatening our security as well. Right now, sea levels are rising; low-lying countries are facing the threat of floods; more extreme weather causes droughts that threaten water supplies and destroy crops. These impacts are likely to displace millions of people, putting stress on vulnerable countries due to internal migration and cross-border refugees.
 
Experts on the matter are not sitting on their hands while this problem grows. The CIA has created a climate change center to analyze and respond to this threat. The latest National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) presented to the president listed climate change as a significant national security issue. Even the Pentagon under the Bush administration, in the 2009 National Defense Review, named climate change as a strategic imperative for which we need to prepare.
 
We need to change course to reduce these threats by moving America to clean energy sources that would cut our dependence on oil and reduce the carbon pollution that causes climate change. Transitioning to a clean energy economy would allow us to get our power from renewable sources here at home, instead of relying on energy from perilous parts of the world. Using clean sources of energy instead of dirty high-carbon fuels will help solve the climate crisis, preventing further destabilization in politically vulnerable regions of the world.
 
At this moment, we have the opportunity to improve our national security and strengthen our domestic economy by enacting policies that support clean energy.
 
In his address, the president called on senators to move forward with “a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America.” Now we look to our national leaders to deliver on this promise of greater energy independence, less carbon pollution, and increased security for our troops and our country.

Powers is chief operating officer of the Truman Security Project.