Road mapping the future of energy security and climate change

It is evident that the United States must address concerns regarding energy security and climate change.  With the current state of the economy and the progression of energy initiatives within the new administration, there must be a practical format of addressing the realistic concerns for our future. Recently, CSIS and WRI released the report, “A Roadmap for a Secure, Low-Carbon Energy Economy: Balancing Energy Security and Climate Change”, which outlined practical recommendations for the administration and Congress. The framework for these recommendations outlines the need to establish a vision for the future, ensure that the country’s energy system is set on the right path, and manage the transition to a new energy system to create a secure, low-carbon economy.

In the roadmap, not only do CSIS and WRI provide recommendations for the future, but they also address the realistic challenges of the current energy system. For example, most people are aware that there has been an ongoing interest regarding the lack of oil suppliers in a time when there is an increasing demand for this fossil fuel. Ignoring this challenge, as well as the others in the spectrum of our energy system, will hold us back from adapting a new energy system that will allow us to have a secure, low-carbon economy.

Addressing the challenges in the current energy system outlines a starting point for the United States. However, as the Roadmap indicates, the next step is to implement the framework that CSIS and WRI have formulated. Within this, they have established 10 recommendations for the new energy system that will bring the vision for the future to the forefront of energy policy.

Recommendations (outlined):

1. Integrate energy security and climate change priorities into all aspects of domestic and international policy
2.  Establish a price on carbon throughout the U.S. economy
3. Establish a public financial commitment to the energy security and climate change challenges
4. Provide-private sector energy incentives to promote low-carbon fuels and technologies, and remove barriers to their deployment.
5. Engage constructively in the development of an effective international response to climate change and energy security concerns
6. Invest in infrastructure and technology necessary to transform the transportation system while promoting denser, more transit-friendly land use patterns.
7. Promote energy efficiency, renewable energy, and transmission infrastructure-measures that contribute to both security and climate change goals.
8. Reduce GHG emissions from technologies that contribute to energy security and make low-carbon technologies more secure.
9. Support domestic oil production during the transition to low-carbon fuels.
10. Develop a natural gas strategy with appropriate environmental safeguards to meet short-term demand and ensure availability of alternatives in the longer-term.

All these recommendations are entirely feasible, as the Roadmap also includes initial steps that can be taken to put them into effect. No change to the energy system will occur overnight. This report acknowledges that “…New energy projects take years to complete…significant changes to the energy system, much like changes to the climate, will happen over the course of decades and even centuries…” (Roadmap, pg. 13) It’s time that we prepare ourselves and assist in implementing these recommendations into policy in order to secure our future and the future of generations to come.
For the full report, “A Roadmap for a Secure, Low-Carbon Energy Economy: Balancing Energy Security and Climate Change” visit http://www.csis.org/energy/roadmap/.