Recently, I completed reading a book entitled, “The Metropolitan Revolution” written by Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley. The book is about how cities and metros are fixing what the authors describe as “our broken politics and fragile economy”.
There are many sectors and issues addressed in the book. The outlook for America’s energy usage and planning is one of the sectors/issues addressed.
There is the definite push worldwide for “energy sustainability”. Energy efficient technologies are at the forefront of discussion.
According to the authors, “more than 6 billion people are expected to populate cities and metropolitan areas over the next several years, smart and sustainable municipal services, will be in high demand.” They go on to say, “cities and metropolitan areas in the United States are well positioned to continue to be at the center of the nation’s clean economy.” It is interesting that the authors use the word “clean”. Natural gas is definitely clean and abundant.
The book provides several statistics that I found interesting, including: 1) the largest metros in the US are home to 78 percent of the jobs in solar energy, 80 percent in wind energy, and 83 percent of the jobs in energy research, engineering and consulting services. This book finds, therefore, challenges that smaller communities will face in order to be competitive or they could be left behind.
I found this book to be a tool for important dialogue not only for metropolitan areas but also for any towns and cities across the US. Leaders who have vision and foresight for their communities are needed.
In planning for America’s energy future, the book points out that “over the past century, the average size of a household declined from 4.60 persons in 1900 to 3.38 in 1950 to 2.58 in 2010…in 1983 nearly half of young Americans had a driver’s license; today, only 29 percent do.” So there is definitely a shift in energy usage in America’s future.
According to one study, the projection is “that the total investment required in transportation, electricity, water, and other infrastructure to keep pace with population growth in emerging market cities in Asia and Latin America over the next twenty years will be $30-40 trillion—about 60-70 percent of the total global investment in infrastructure.” Therefore, America’s energy expertise will play an important role as well as to our own energy usage.
Despite all the concerns related to the moving parts of the energy industry and future energy usage, there is good reason to be optimistic. Right now we are seeing a shale play throughout the country.
As Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick stated “the elements of our (country) strengths are many. They include our democratic government, our economic system, & our natural resources.”
Bottom-line, America’s energy future is in our hands. We need to make plans. President George Washington stated, “A people…who are possessed of the spirit of commerce, who see and who will pursue their advantages, may achieve almost anything.”
Things are changing, shifting. We need to be the leaders of the opportunities ahead. Together we can Create the People’s Energy Plan! Go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com to join the effort.
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