Alright, I confess.  I’m a big, giant Olympics addict.  I love the intensity and the drama.  I could pass on the constant nationalism and medal count lists, and I’ll probably be considered un-American for saying this, but I’m really over Apolo Ohno.  Because of the Olympics, my TV has been on way more than it usually is and I feel like I’m still missing things.

But I didn’t miss something big that happened at last week’s TED Conference, where Bill Gates stood up and argued that climate change is the biggest issue we face today.  And, more importantly, that the only target which is acceptable for success is zero emissions by 2050.  That’s right.  ZERO.

Worldchanging’s Alex Steffen (who was at TED *envy*) argues that this was the most important climate change speech of the year. Steffen goes on to discuss the Gates Climate Equation – CO2 = P+S+E+C – what it means, and how he would modify it.  Worldchanging has since published a counterargument by Joe Romm (he runs ClimateProgress.org – we love them).  Both analyses are incredibly insightful, and I didn’t find them to be necessarily contradictory.  Romm argues that we need to focus on accelerating the deployment of existing clean energy technologies, not on research and development of new technologies.  Steffen argues that the merit of the speech is in the vision, but also criticizes Gates’ articulation of the equation and the way forward.

Not having seen or heard the TED speech, my biggest complaint is about the sound bite we’re hearing: Gates’ quote, “We need energy miracles.” What is either omitted from most articles or buried below the fold is that Gates went on to say that energy miracles would be a result of massive investment in alternative energy research and development.  In other words, we need miracles that can only be a result of tremendous effort.  That second part is what he was really calling for, not the miracles – the hard work.  (According to Gates, similar ‘miracles’ include the microprocessor and the internet.)

What needs to be reported much more broadly (in my opinion as the primary headline) is that Gates drew the connection between the work that his Foundation does now – fighting poverty and disease – and climate change.  Gates recognizes that if we don’t figure out climate change, the challenges presented by poverty and famine will be insurmountable.  He knows it, and he stood up and said it in front of everyone.

So yes, I do think that Bill Gates gets climate change.  And while I don’t agree with everything he said – such as his inclusion of nuclear energy in his proposed clean energy portfolio – I do love that he is now in the game.  Because whatever you may think of him, it’s hard to argue with the fact that he’s a game changer.  Gates has tremendous public and financial clout, and a very different and much wider audience than most of the people currently working to address climate change.  So when he stands up and declares that climate change is the key issue and redefines the metric for success in such a dramatic way, it is a really big deal.  It will be interesting to see who was listening.

Related posts:

1. Ten Climate Change Terms Everyone Should Know
2. Blog About Climate Change!
3. 19 Simple Ways to Start Thinking About Climate Change – Blog Action Day

The framing was right.

… even if you doubt the evidence, providing incentives for energy-efficiency and clean energy are the right thing to do for our future -– because the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy…

The call to action was admirable.

Meanwhile, China is not waiting to revamp its economy.  Germany is not waiting.  India is not waiting.  These nations — they’re not standing still.  These nations aren’t playing for second place.  They’re putting more emphasis on math and science.  They’re rebuilding their infrastructure.  They’re making serious investments in clean energy because they want those jobs.  Well, I do not accept second place for the United States of America.

But then the details, oh…the details were horribly wrong.

And that means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country.  It means making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development.  It means continued investment in advanced biofuels and clean coal technologies.

And the call for the climate change legislation was woefully insufficient (and vague).

And, yes, it means passing a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America.

As were the limited emissions targets announced this morning: 28% by 2020 from a 2008 baseline.

It’s been a turbulent year for me, and there are many things I miss about living in Washington DC.  The State of the Union address helped with that.  President Obama gave us a clear picture of what clean isn’t.  But this is a chance for cities around the world to become an example of what clean is.  Wherever you live, now would be a good time to engage locally.  Help build a brighter, truly competitive, honestly sustainable and clean future for your community, for your city.  Because it looks like it’s up to us.

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