With the oil crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, is it time for Americans to well and truly change their lifestyles? According to Martin Laubli of Switzerland’s Tages Anzeiger, President Obama needs to lead the world by pointedly rejecting George H.W. Bush’s 1992 statement that ‘The American way of life is non-negotiable.’
For Tages Anzeiger, Martin Laubli writes in part:
Obama has the opportunity now to steer the debate toward ecological common sense. He must convince his people that the catastrophic oil spill has everything to do with an insatiable demand for energy and that additional licenses to drill in sensitive coastal areas would be irresponsible. On a global scale, the U.S. wastes more energy per capita than any other nation. Obama should argue that clean forms of energy pay off, because the consequences of catastrophic oil spills and global warming, brought on by burning fossil fuels, will ultimately be unaffordable.
Just like the fight against terrorism, the logical approach for the Obama Administration would be to make the vigorous pursuit of safe energy its top priority. That would require an energy bill that includes incorporating ecological and social impacts into energy prices. That would require a new climate bill, which remains to be addressed by the Senate and which would provide fresh impetus for the next round of climate talks.
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