Reducing energy consumption to increase national security on clarkhoward.com

Clark has been reading dispatches from the Tokyo Auto Show to get a sense for what ultra-efficient vehicles the Japanese have up their sleeves.

Here in the United States, we have GM coming out with the Volt in about a year. The Volt will be an electric car for the first 40 miles of travel each day and then switch over to a traditional gas engine.

We in the United States represent four percent of the world's population, yet we use 25 percent of its energy. That number is awful, but it's also great. It means that we can easily reduce the amount of energy we use. We've never focused on conservation previously because energy had been plentiful and cheap.

Yet now conservation is being encouraged through state tax credits and mandated through the new federal fuel economy standards. Incidentally, Clark doesn't like the federal standards; he'd prefer to see the vastly unpopular gas tax enacted!

Recently, the consumer champ saw a Forbes article that decried our country being more energy efficient and downplayed the effects of global warming.

Here's Clark's deal on global warming: He doesn't get it and he's not ashamed to say that he's not smart enough to be sure if it's real or not.

But he does care about national security, and he thinks that angle offers the most compelling reason of all to reduce our energy consumption. There's no reason why we should be at the mercy of OPEC and Hugo Chavez. If we want to retain our position of power in the world, we must dial back on energy so that our enemies can't use our petrol dollars to harm us.

What others are saying

Energy Independence
For National Security, Energy Independence is a good thing. Are we at the mercy of OPEC?? Only because we allow it to be. I am for the pursuit of every available form of alternative energy. Some will work better than others, some may not work well at all. But unless we continue to refine existing technologies and research newer ones, we will never know.

Is global warming real?? Well, when the polar icecap is melting and temps. are trending higher, yes its real. Is it man-induced?? Don't know - earth's history has had multiple periods of ice ages and global warming. I think its somewhat 'arrogant' of us to think we can change global weather patterns.

Remember 'Nuclear Winter'?? When at the height of the cold war, scientists were conviced that a nuclear exchange between the US and the USSR would raise millions of tons of dust into the atmosphere blocking out the sun for years and creating a perpetual 'Nuclear Winter', wiping out crops and livestock and causing extinctions. Well, if we are so 'arrogant' and think we can control the weather - why don't we have controlled, non-nuclear (no radiation) blasts in the middle of the Sahara to spread enough dust into the atmosphere to reverse the global warming trend??
By J.J. @ 11/04/09 07:38:21 PMreport abuse
Green is good whether global warming exists or not
If GM along with big oil and our own government hadn't killed the mandate in California that would of forced auto companies to make 10% of all their autos Zero Emission Vehicles "ZEV" by 2003, this trend would of swept across the nation already and a good number of us would be driving electric vehicles and our dependence on foreign oil would have dropped dramatically. Unfortunately, powerful interests including many politicians made sure this didn't happen. It's not that we can't reduce energy use, it's the fact that the powers that be will not allow us to because they're so invested in oil and related areas. It's criminal! If our government truly wanted to be less dependent on oil mandates like this one would be in every state or at the federal level, and millions of electric vehicles would be on the road already. And what the hell happened to Hydrogen!? I remember Bush and his oil cronies promoting this as the new fuel over 7 years ago, that was just a big scam to get government cash into the pockets of the same people that always get it. To be honest, I think our national security is more at risk from the people who run this country than from anyone foreign.

Buzz is the Clark boards official troll, congratulations!

To Bruce about the Volt, you're incorrect, after 40 miles of continuous driving the gasoline engine kicks on and is the source of power that moves the car, it also generates the battery at the same time. Being it will be priced well over 50k I doubt it matters to most here.
By Chris @ 11/04/09 02:30:18 PMreport abuse
I agree with Clark
I agree with Clark. The people in the US have become so spoiled they are no longer willing to sacrifice for the good of the country and the comments that have been made show it. What will you do when OPEC decides to turn on us???
By Janet @ 11/04/09 12:23:33 PMreport abuse
Obesity = terrorism?
You know, losing weight (assuming you're pretty heavy) can improve fuel-efficiency and save gas. Therefore obese people use more fuel, sending money towards OPEC and almost certainly funding terrorism. It's your patriotic duty to lose weight!
See this:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2006-10-25-gasoline-obesity_x.htm
By Medical Student @ 11/04/09 12:04:42 PMreport abuse
RE: Buzz G
Yet again you show you lack of depth in understanding complex issues. By your logic, you think the prime minister of Japan, and leaders of South Korea and Germany are of equal threat to the President of Venezuela and the leaders of OPEC nations? And you are old enough to have lived through the oil embargo? Are you still fighting WWII? Are you even reading anything printed after 1970?
By Ben @ 11/04/09 10:47:47 AMreport abuse
Chevy Volt
A small correction: The Volt will always run on the electric motor, and never switch over to a traditional gasoline engine. The only gasoline engine that Volt has is to charge the battery; it never drives the car directly.
By Bruce @ 11/04/09 10:12:56 AMreport abuse
Energy Consumption
Americans want to live comfortable lives. If there is not enough gasoline we want to find more supply and not drive in roller skates for cars. Improved fuel and energy consumption should be strived for. Honda has been doing this for years. There is or could be plenty supply of energy it is just that the movers and shakers want to create a shortage to make billions. I wonder how many oil tankers are just sitting in the oceans ready to deliver?
By Dave @ 11/03/09 08:54:05 PMreport abuse
Clark's Nonsense
We are not at the mercy of OPEC nor Hugo Chavez for our oil any more than we are at the mercy of Japan, Germany and South Korea for our autos. The fact is that the world's nations trade with each other for the products each needs. Oil is no different but environmentalists have seized on oil and tried to demonize it. Canada has huge reserves in their Athabasca tar sands area and we are building 3 new pipelines to bring the oil down. Within two years we will be importing very little oil from OPEC countries. Don't believe Clark for a moment when he tells you the world is running out of oil, and don't believe the global warming nonsense either. Both theories are being advanced by people who have a political agenda. Clark should know better. If he really were concerned about the consumer, he would promote the idea of going after our own oil, not reducing consumption. Clark is becoming increasingly whacko on environmental issues. I guess he wants to be seen as being "green". Shame.
By Buzz G @ 11/03/09 06:52:06 PMreport abuse
Energy Consumption
USA is 4% world population, but 24% of global GDP. It won't be very easy to substantially reduce our oil/carbon based energy consumption without reducing our GDP. Unless we add more Nuclear energy supplies.
By Mark @ 11/03/09 03:28:23 PMreport abuse

Energy Independence

For National Security, Energy Independence is a good thing. Are we at the mercy of OPEC?? Only because we allow it to be. I am for the pursuit of every available form of alternative energy. Some will work better than others, some may not work well at all. But unless we continue to refine existing technologies and research newer ones, we will never know.

Is global warming real?? Well, when the polar icecap is melting and temps. are trending higher, yes its real. Is it man-induced?? Don't know - earth's history has had multiple periods of ice ages and global warming. I think its somewhat 'arrogant' of us to think we can change global weather patterns.

Remember 'Nuclear Winter'?? When at the height of the cold war, scientists were conviced that a nuclear exchange between the US and the USSR would raise millions of tons of dust into the atmosphere blocking out the sun for years and creating a perpetual 'Nuclear Winter', wiping out crops and livestock and causing extinctions. Well, if we are so 'arrogant' and think we can control the weather - why don't we have controlled, non-nuclear (no radiation) blasts in the middle of the Sahara to spread enough dust into the atmosphere to reverse the global warming trend??

By J.J. @ 11/04/09 07:38:21 PMreport abuse

Green is good whether global warming exists or not

If GM along with big oil and our own government hadn't killed the mandate in California that would of forced auto companies to make 10% of all their autos Zero Emission Vehicles "ZEV" by 2003, this trend would of swept across the nation already and a good number of us would be driving electric vehicles and our dependence on foreign oil would have dropped dramatically. Unfortunately, powerful interests including many politicians made sure this didn't happen. It's not that we can't reduce energy use, it's the fact that the powers that be will not allow us to because they're so invested in oil and related areas. It's criminal! If our government truly wanted to be less dependent on oil mandates like this one would be in every state or at the federal level, and millions of electric vehicles would be on the road already. And what the hell happened to Hydrogen!? I remember Bush and his oil cronies promoting this as the new fuel over 7 years ago, that was just a big scam to get government cash into the pockets of the same people that always get it. To be honest, I think our national security is more at risk from the people who run this country than from anyone foreign.

Buzz is the Clark boards official troll, congratulations!

To Bruce about the Volt, you're incorrect, after 40 miles of continuous driving the gasoline engine kicks on and is the source of power that moves the car, it also generates the battery at the same time. Being it will be priced well over 50k I doubt it matters to most here.

By Chris @ 11/04/09 02:30:18 PMreport abuse

I agree with Clark

I agree with Clark. The people in the US have become so spoiled they are no longer willing to sacrifice for the good of the country and the comments that have been made show it. What will you do when OPEC decides to turn on us???

By Janet @ 11/04/09 12:23:33 PMreport abuse

Obesity = terrorism?

You know, losing weight (assuming you're pretty heavy) can improve fuel-efficiency and save gas. Therefore obese people use more fuel, sending money towards OPEC and almost certainly funding terrorism. It's your patriotic duty to lose weight!
See this:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2006-10-25-gasoline-obesity_x.htm

By Medical Student @ 11/04/09 12:04:42 PMreport abuse

RE: Buzz G

Yet again you show you lack of depth in understanding complex issues. By your logic, you think the prime minister of Japan, and leaders of South Korea and Germany are of equal threat to the President of Venezuela and the leaders of OPEC nations? And you are old enough to have lived through the oil embargo? Are you still fighting WWII? Are you even reading anything printed after 1970?

By Ben @ 11/04/09 10:47:47 AMreport abuse

Chevy Volt

A small correction: The Volt will always run on the electric motor, and never switch over to a traditional gasoline engine. The only gasoline engine that Volt has is to charge the battery; it never drives the car directly.

By Bruce @ 11/04/09 10:12:56 AMreport abuse

Energy Consumption

Americans want to live comfortable lives. If there is not enough gasoline we want to find more supply and not drive in roller skates for cars. Improved fuel and energy consumption should be strived for. Honda has been doing this for years. There is or could be plenty supply of energy it is just that the movers and shakers want to create a shortage to make billions. I wonder how many oil tankers are just sitting in the oceans ready to deliver?

By Dave @ 11/03/09 08:54:05 PMreport abuse

Clark's Nonsense

We are not at the mercy of OPEC nor Hugo Chavez for our oil any more than we are at the mercy of Japan, Germany and South Korea for our autos. The fact is that the world's nations trade with each other for the products each needs. Oil is no different but environmentalists have seized on oil and tried to demonize it. Canada has huge reserves in their Athabasca tar sands area and we are building 3 new pipelines to bring the oil down. Within two years we will be importing very little oil from OPEC countries. Don't believe Clark for a moment when he tells you the world is running out of oil, and don't believe the global warming nonsense either. Both theories are being advanced by people who have a political agenda. Clark should know better. If he really were concerned about the consumer, he would promote the idea of going after our own oil, not reducing consumption. Clark is becoming increasingly whacko on environmental issues. I guess he wants to be seen as being "green". Shame.

By Buzz G @ 11/03/09 06:52:06 PMreport abuse

USA is 4% world population, but 24% of global GDP. It won't be very easy to substantially reduce our oil/carbon based energy consumption without reducing our GDP. Unless we add more Nuclear energy supplies.

By Mark @ 11/03/09 03:28:23 PMreport abuse

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Nov 03, 2009 -- Reducing energy consumption to increase national security

What others are saying