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National Geographic: The Great Energy Challenge
Posted 27 June 2013 in
Just as President Obama’s Climate Action Plan stepped back into the spotlight, National Geographic this week hosted the Great Energy Challenge; a three year initiative to “help all of us better understand the breadth and depth of our current energy situation” and help mitigate the dangerous effects of climate change.
A key focus on the Great Energy Challenge is the future development and scalable production of renewable fuel, ranging from traditional to advanced and cellulosic ethanol. In a National Geographic online poll over 57 percent of people say that renewable fuel is worth continued investment. Earlier this week Fuels America also released a poll that states that more than 75 percent of consumers want more renewable fuel options at gas stations.
It is clear that the demand for renewable fuel is on the upswing. The Great Energy Challenge highlights several nationwide and state level efforts, led by companies around the country, to develop new technologies and produce renewable fuel. There is also a nationwide effort to develop and perfect “drop-in biofuels,” which have the potential to help wean the U.S. off our addition to oil and in the process slow down the progression of fossil fueled climate change.
The development of these fuels will allow consumers increased access to renewable fuel without extensive rebuilding of infrastructure across the country. In its most recent annual outlook, the International Energy Agency said that cellulosic biofuel could be cost-competitive as early as 2015 if the right policies were accepted.
Policies like the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) are already promoting the growth and production of renewable fuel. President Obama’s support for the RFS is a strong indication of the commitment to lessen the impact of climate change and get us off fossil fuels once and for all.
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