Climate-change goals discussed: Means to end may vary, speakers in Richmond say, but efficiency vital

Climate-change goals discussed: Means to end may vary, speakers in Richmond say, but efficiency vital

Nov 4 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - John Reid Blackwell Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.

Reducing carbon-dioxide emissions and increasing America's energy independence are goals everyone seems to want, numerous speakers said at a conference on climate change yesterday in Richmond. But the best way to achieve those goals remains debatable.

As U.S. and global energy demands continue to grow, renewable and cleaner energy sources such as wind and solar as well as hybrid vehicles will have to play a larger role in the energy mix that keeps the Virginia and U.S. economies running, some speakers said at the Virginia Climate Change and Energy Business Summit meeting.

Others cautioned that renewable energy sources, while a laudable goal, will come only with higher costs for consumers and businesses.

"I think it is unquestionable that renewable energy and fuels have a significant role to play in meeting our national energy needs and reducing our greenhouse-gas emissions," said Michael J. Schewel, a partner at the McGuireWoods law firm and a former Virginia secretary of commerce and trade. "I think this is true for both transportation fuel and for electricity generation."

Schewel said businesses should consider whether the long-term economic costs of climate change may exceed the costs of legislation aimed at reducing carbon emissions. Improving energy efficiency should be a primary goal, he said. "Efficiency, I think, is the prime point at which business and environmentalists have a common interest," he said.

Some speakers cautioned against changes that would impose heavier burdens on energy industries such as oil and coal.

"We agree that greenhouse gases should be reduced . . . that energy efficiency is extremely important . . . that alternative energy sources need to be developed," said Kyle Isakower, director of policy analysis for the American Petroleum Institute. But Isakower argued that some proposals such as cap-and-trade legislation being considered in Congress could take money away from U.S. energy production investments. Contact John Reid Blackwell at (804) 775-8123 or jblackwell@timesdispatch.com.