by Bishop Garrison
and David Gargaro
July 8, 2019
During the first night of the ini/al Democra/c debates for the 2020 elec/on, candidates
were asked to name the biggest geopoli/cal threat to the United States. Of the 10
contenders on stage, four iden/fied China and three named climate change. On the
second night, in response to different ques/ons, many of the other 10 candidates also
cited the dangers of China and climate change to U.S. interests and na/onal security.
What many of these aspirants to the na/on’s highest office may not yet grasp is that the
United States has an opportunity to begin tackling both risks through one ac/on:
inves/ng in renewable energy and green technology.
Democra/c and Republican leaders alike have increasingly realized the degree to which
China poses a threat, not only in security terms but also economically and
technologically. The energy field is a prime example. China has already set in mo/on an
unparalleled financial investment in green technology. According to the Interna/onal
Renewable Energy Agency, China is now the world’s largest producer, exporter, and
installer of solar panels, wind turbines, baQeries, and electric vehicles. Further, China
maintains hundreds of thousands of patents on renewable energy technology, with
approximately 29 percent of the world’s total patent registra/ons as of 2016. At the
same /me, China has invested heavily in African mining infrastructure in an effort to
dominate mineral markets that are crucial for future technology manufacturing and
development.
China also has exploited another component of the clean energy mix: nuclear power.
Through its Belt and Road Ini/a/ve, China has hatched an ambi/ous plan to sell
upwards of 30 nuclear reactors by 2030 — at the es/mated sum of 1 trillion yuan
($145.52 billion). While the United States remains the global leader in nuclear energy
technology and innova/on, China’s nuclear ambi/ons clearly are resolute.
As China builds and extends its economic dominance, Congress is slowly coming around
to the risk that climate change poses to na/onal security. It’s a danger the scien/fic
community first iden/fied in the 1970s and that the Defense Department has long cited
as a cri/cal threat for its role in spurring conflicts over water, usable land, and other
resources.
Many of the current Democra/c field of candidates have presented plans and posi/ons
that iden/fy climate change and renewable energy as top priori/es, not only for the
poten/al to deal with global warming, but also for the economic poten/al. For instance,
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren ar/culated during the debate how her plan could
rejuvenate manufacturing within the United States through investment in green
technology. Warren told the audience, “There’s going to be a worldwide need for green
technology — ways to clean up the air and clean up the water. And we can be the ones
to provide that. We need to go 10-fold in our research and development in green energy
going forward.”
Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Juli.n Castro also iden/fied
China and climate security during the debates as priority strategic challenges facing the
na/on, and other candidates are thinking cri/cally about the future of climate
and renewable energy policies.
But if these candidates view China as a major compe/tor and want to establish the
United States as a leader in addressing global warming and developing green energy, it
is /me to bridge the par/san divide on these issues. The government needs to truly focus
investment on this field and on the associated research and development necessary to
surpass China’s efforts. Fortunately, Congress now is openly discussing global warming
and its effects, in part because the Pentagon has raised the specter of the impact on
military opera/ons. That creates an opportunity for all the 2020 presiden/al candidates
to address the climate crisis as both a na/onal security and economic issue. In addi/on
to advancing global security and addressing climate change, green technology research
and development, not to men/on manufacturing and services, could generate more jobs
for Americans.
Some experts have indicated that nuclear energy could work in tandem with renewables,
while also serving as a clean technology bridge allowing the United States to shrink its
use of fossil fuel. S/ll, steadily decreasing public support for nuclear energy because of
concerns about how to safely operate reactors and store the resul/ng waste has made it
extremely challenging for Congress to even ensure a future for the exis/ng array of
reactors, which account for an es/mated 19 percent of U.S. energy produc/on. With a
string of nuclear plant closures scheduled to take place before 2025, the U.S. will need a
major injec/on from alternate sources to meet growing U.S. energy demand.
Democra/c presiden/al candidates have expressed varied support of nuclear power,
whether by maintaining exis/ng plants or by expanding research and development of
advanced nuclear technologies. Both Warren and U.S. Senator Cory Booker voted to
include funding for the laQer in the North American Energy and Security Infrastructure
Act of 2016. Other candidates have adopted a tougher stance, leaning against nuclear
technologies. Senator Bernie Sanders, for example, has called for a ban on new nuclear
construc/on. Former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris are among
those who have yet to publicly state their posi/ons on building new nuclear power
plants.
As the candidates con/nue to develop their 2020 plakorms, they must come to grips
with the need to compete with China militarily and economically for America’s long-term
security. They should consider the clear nexus between those demands and the poten/al
security and prosperity that green technology can deliver for the United States.
To be sure, U.S. poli/cal leaders will need to find ways of balancing the impera/ve of
maintaining an edge over China with that country’s role as a crucial trading partner for
the United States and its allies. China is the United States’ largest trading partner in
goods, with 2018 imports from the Asian behemoth exceeding half a trillion dollars.
But the path to compe/ng effec/vely with the Chinese juggernaut — and ensuring the
United States is well-posi/oned to remain a geopoli/cal leader — runs directly through
investment in green technology and clean and renewable energy. That carries the
poten/al to address two major issues with a singular and focused offensive.
コメント