New Year’s Revolution 2015

You say you want a revolution,

Well, you know,

We all want to change the world . . .*

When Barack Obama campaigned for the presidency in 2008, he promised bold change for America.  With Democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress, it appeared that he could indeed lead this country forward with daring new ideas, such as universal health care.  But two wars in the Middle East, a worldwide recession and the eventual takeover of Congress by conservative Republicans has caused his agenda for change to be severely scaled back.

 

In these final two years of his final term, the President has a choice.  He can sit back and wait with his veto pen to try to prevent the Republican Party from taking this country back to the 19^th century.  Or he can use the bully pulpit and power of his office to boldly lead this country forward. 

So what kind of change should be on the President’s agenda as we begin this New Year?  There are many problems facing this country that cry out for action, such as the 14-year war in the Middle East, the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, gun violence and income inequality.  Taking action to address these problems is important, but is it revolutionary?  Would it change the world?

Revolutionary change is hard to come by.  It usually happens as the result of some extraordinary event or invention.  The invention of the wheel transformed ancient civilizations just as the invention of the computer has transformed modern society.  The widespread use of computers and other electrically powered appliances and devices could not have happened except for the revolutionary change that made electricity available in homes and businesses throughout the country.  That change resulted from the discovery that coal, oil and natural gas could be burned to produce steam to drive turbines that could generate energy that could be sent via wires to our homes and businesses.  Without electrification, we would be a far different society.

But scientists have discovered a huge downside to the generation of electricity from burning fossil fuels.  Burning these fuels releases carbon dioxide (CO₂) which builds up in the earth’s atmosphere.  CO₂ is a greenhouse gas, which means its buildup traps heat from the sun, which eventually will alter the climate of the planet – and not in a good way.

This nation’s energy needs will continue to grow as our population increases and our society continues to invent new technological devices that rely on electricity to make them work.  Conservation efforts can help to slow the demand for power, but such efforts inevitably will not be enough to reduce emissions of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases that are causing changes to the earth’s climate.  Ultimately, we must reduce our national dependence on the burning of fossil fuels to generate power.  President Obama has taken action to commit the United States to reducing carbon emissions.  He has negotiated a treaty with China committing the U.S. to reduce carbon emissions by 28% below 2005 levels by 2025.  His EPA has proposed new rules to require power plants to substantially cut CO₂ emissions.  These are important actions, but they can be undone by a future administration that refuses to acknowledge that climate change is occurring.  Also, since the CO₂ already emitted can linger in the atmosphere for thousands of years, simple reductions may not be enough.  Many scientists are telling us that we need to get to zero carbon emissions to really have a chance of halting and reversing climate change. 

The use of solar, wind and similar renewable sources is a step in the right direction, and we must do all that we can to encourage the further development of these technologies.  But they will not be enough.  Therefore, just as President Kennedy challenged the nation to send a manned mission to the moon by the end of the 1960s, President Obama should announce a major initiative to produce commercially viable power from nuclear fusion in the next ten years.  Nuclear fusion, which produces no greenhouse gases, is the only known technology capable of replacing fossil fuels in supplying electricity to the nation’s power grid.  Fusion is being researched by various entities around the globe that are hoping for a breakthrough to eventually make it commercially viable.  However, a major development effort under government sponsorship could bring together the people and resources necessary to make it a reality in the short term.

Such an effort, if successful, and if shared with other nations, would achieve nothing short of saving the planet.  That would be quite a legacy, Mr. President.  And it is a change that could not be reversed or dismantled, no more than the computer could be replaced with the abacus.

So be bold; be revolutionary.  Yes, we all want to change the world.  And you should use the power of your high office to inspire us and lead us to that change.

*  Revolution, Lennon-McCartney, © 1968