Honda Addresses International Conference on Renewable Energy for Developing Countries

Rep. Michael Honda, Ranking Member on the Energy Subcommittee, spoke at ICREDC06 on April 7. He focused on the possibilities for using renewable alternatives to fossil fuels in developing countries. Excerpts from his speech follow:

"...I've been talking about the need to expand the use of renewable energy for years, but it has been hard to get attention paid to this issue in a town where the oil, gas, and coal industries have such strong ties to the Administration and the majority party in Congress.

"But as of the State of the Union address, even President Bush admits that American is addicted to oil, and that we need to do something about it, although he hasn't been quite as clear about what he thinks we should do.

"What can we do?  In the short term, we need to use our fossil fuels more efficiently, but in the long term, we are going to need to move away from fossil fuels altogether, because these are fundamentally finite....

Rep. Honda receives a plaque from Dr. Ben Latigo, Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences of the Univeristy of the District of Columbia

"Developing countries don't have the luxury of thinking about expensive energy solutions.  For the poorest countries, energy is a source of their poverty.  38 of the poorest countries are net importers of oil, and 25 of them import all of their oil.  At oil prices of over $60 per barrel, these countries are being disproportionately impacted.

"The top recipients under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative are spending the money save from debt relief on the increasing price of oil rather than on educating their kids, fighting HIV/AIDS, providing clean water, or increasing access to health care.  Approximately 2 billion people worldwide are left without reliable energy sources, without refrigeration, without basic communication, heat, or even light because of the high cost and inaccessibility of fossil fuels.

"Another factor that I believe we should consider is climate change....  the world will need to generate electricity and power transportation systems without releasing carbon dioxide.  The U.S. is the biggest offender, releasing the most greenhouse gas emissions, and so it is incumbent upon us to take the lead in reducing emissions.  Unfortunately, we are not taking those steps that other nations are, such as capping carbon emissions.

"In this case, the wealth of the U.S. seems to be lulling people into a false sense of security.  They think that because we have many resources, we will be able to adapt to any changes in climate that may occur, however costly they might be.

"This isn't an option for developing countries, just like hydroelectric and nuclear are not options there, either.  The financial resources required are just too great, especially because the effects of developing regions of the world are most prone to suffering the effects of climate change.

"In part, this is because the world's poor live in areas more prone to natural disasters, drought and disease.  Fourteen countries in Africa are already subject to water stress and within the next 25 years that number will almost double.  In Southern Africa and parts of the Horn, rainfall is predicted to decline by ten percent by 2050, worsening already serious food shortages.  And between 260 and 320 million people are likely to find themselves living in malaria-infested areas by 2080.

"To make matters worse, climate change threatens developing communities in particular because they depend on natural resources for income. As the Washington Post reported recently, the Inuit in the Arctic are already feeling the effects of climate change. As the ice melts, the earth opens up and drives away animals they hunt for food and swallows their homes and fishing equipment.

"Climate change will also adversely affect economies that depend on agriculture.  Crop yields in sub-Saharan Africa are projected to fall by 20 percent with global warming.  With growing demand and declining yield, Africa will become more dependent on costly food imports....

"Developing countries are the ones least responsible for climate change, but they are most susceptible to it.  That means they are the countries that need new, greenhouse emissions-free technologies the most, but they are least able to afford expensive solutions.  That's why we need to focus on solutions that can address the problem but are also affordable.

"We must face the fact here in the U.S. that we can't separate the fate of the developing world from ours.  Climate is global, and if we make changes but the developing world does not, the climate will continue to be affected, and vice versa.  Everyone must be on board.  In addition, when climate change starts to impact other countries, that will inevitably affect the U.S. - with immigration, trade, and international relations impacted.  So we must be a leader in developing the affordable solutions to the energy problem....

Mr. Honda meets with William Hare (left), Director of the Water Resources Research Institute of the University of the District of Columbia, attending the Conference with his students

"These efforts are not all that we can do, I realize that.  We should invest more in research and development, take greater steps to encourage the use of renewable energy here in the United States, and do more to support R&D partnerships between US scientists and engineers and those in the developing world.

"Why?  Because for years, developed nations have used energy to increase their own economic wealth and prosperity while polluting the global environment and hindering growth, happiness, and security in poor countries. We have indirectly worsened the plight of people around the world. It is simply a matter of fairness, then, for us to devise solutions for the problems we have created.

"We have a responsibility to make renewable energy available and affordable to all, to ensure that the poorest countries in the world are not forced to choose between feeding their people and fueling their economies.  It is not something that we choose to do, it is something that we must do to ensure the future of our planet and our species."

Read Mr. Honda's complete remarks »

Subcommittee Jurisdiction

Committee Rule 3(a)(1)

Legislative jurisdiction and general and special oversight and investigative authority on all matters relating to energy research, development, and demonstration and projects therefor, and commercial application of energy technology including:

• Department of Energy research, development, and demonstration programs;

• Department of Energy laboratories;

• Department of Energy science activities;

• energy supply activities;
  nuclear, solar and renewable energy, and other advanced energy technologies;

• uranium supply and enrichment, and Department of Energy waste management and environment, safety, and health activities as appropriate;

• fossil energy research and development;

• clean coal technology;

• energy conservation research and development;

• energy aspects of climate change;

• pipeline research, development, and demonstration projects;

• energy standards;

• energy conservation including building performance, alternate fuels for and improved efficiency of vehicles, distributed power systems, and industrial process improvements.