Unit 9 Survival Environment
Part I Video Time
Task 1
Transcript
Barack Obama: Energy and Environment
The eyes of the world have always turned to this nation as the last bestowal of the earth. From the moment I take office as president, I will call together scientists and entrepreneurs; heads of industry and labor; Democrats, Republicans and Americans from all walks of life to help develop and deploy the next generation of energy that will allow us to build the next generation’s economy.
The days of the debate about whether or not the globe is getting warmer are over. We know that global warming is real, that if we don’t do anything about global climate change, that we could see catastrophic results.
Right now we could increase the fuel efficiency standard to our cars to 43 miles a gallon, if we increase our fuel efficiency to 43 miles a gallon, then we will import zero oil from the Middle East. That’s something that we could do right now.
We take a national low-carbon fuel standard and increase fuel efficiency standards. We could take the equivalent of 50 million cars worth of pollution off the road by the year 2020. The question is not if a renewable energy economy will thrive in the future, it’s where. And if we want that place to be the United States of America, we can no longer afford to wait. You say 20% of our energy would come from new more sources like wind, like solar, like biomass, like tidal energy. And by setting those high standards, suddenly, you start to see more investment in these areas, technology improves and over the long run, you start to see significant changes. We’re just up to understand we get more obligations to the next generation, to make sure they’ve got a planet which is sustainable and admirable the same way we inherit the sustainable and admirable planet from our parents, and our grandparents. And I think young people, in particular, recognize the importance of this issue, and in the long day-to-day lives, they are trying to make sure they are carbon neutral, make sure they are not wasteful, and almost things add up.
I want our children and our children’s children to point to this generation and this moment as the time when America found its way again. As the time when America overcame the division and the politics and the pettiness of an earlier era so that a new generation could come together and take on the most urgent challenge of this era. I am running for the presidency of the United States to lead us toward this new era.
Exercise 1 Watching for Specific Information 2) We know that global warming is real, that if we don’t do anything aboutthat we could see catastrophic results.
3) Right now we could increase the fuel efficiency standard of our car to 43 miles a gallon, if we 4) You say 20% of our energy would come from new more sources like wind, like like