A new Gallup poll reveals a clear message from Americans: economic concerns and energy prices trump all. That's a message that cannot be ignored by proponents of climate solutions and a clean energy revolution.
Gas station marquees have apparently displaced body count headlines in the minds of Americans. As gas prices skyrocketed over the past few months, concerns with fuel and oil prices have quickly risen to eclipse the Iraq War and secure the second highest ranking on Gallup's monthly "Most Important Problem" poll, released yesterday.
According to Gallup, the 25% of those polled citing fuel and energy prices in June as the nation's top problem is up dramatically from 17% in May and 6% in January.
Despite the rise of fuel price anxieties (or perhaps because of it), the economy and jobs retain the first position in the Gallup list of most pressing concerns. According to Gallup, concern with the economy is about as high today as it has been at
any time since the start of George W. Bush's presidency in January 2001.
The message from Americans is clear: economic concerns and energy prices trump all. That's a message that cannot be ignored by proponents of climate solutions and a clean energy revolution.
This Gallup poll is yet another clear sign that advocates of clean energy and climate solutions need a powerful politics and compelling narrative that tackle cost concerns head-on and blasts apart the age old (false) dichotomy between climate action and economic prosperity.
It's time to put energy innovation and investment at the center of our political and policy agenda, focus on driving down the real costs of the clean energy sources that can displace increasingly expensive fossil fuels, and develop a clear narrative that directly counters the arguments that climate action will cripple the economy.
In short, we must send a message to Americans just as loud as the one their practically shouting at us in this Gallup poll: the REAL solution to soaring energy costs and even our economic woes is to ignite a clean
energy economy powerful enough to end our addiction to fossil fuels,
re-ignite America's economy, solve the climate crisis and build a more
sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future.
Jesse, I completely agree with you, but here's the thing. The technology for electric cars already exists. New battery technologies have been developed that last much longer and are more reliable than the batteries developed for the EV1.
In California at least, even the infrastructure is there. There are "electric vehicle" stations at the library and on the street that are gathering dust.
And I think more and more, people are ready to take the chance on electric. There is a demand.
So here's my question for you. How do we get the car companies on board? For whatever reason, they're not jumping on the electric bandwagon, but are slowly and reluctantly shuffling towards it instead. For heaven's sake, they're still trying to unload SUVs promising to pay the next two years worth of gas!
So here's the question. Once the technology is pretty much there, what then?
I like to joke that if Apple made an electric car, called it the iCar, and made it white, silver and futuristic looking kind of like the cars from the Jetsons, everyone would buy one! Is the answer that we need to convince Steve Jobs to build cars? (I'm only semi-joking here.)
Lastly, it was great to meet you and the fellows Monday. Seems like a pretty great group you've got.
Posted by: arduous at June 18, 2008 11:43 PM