The British Ambassador to the United States, Sir David Manning, addressed global energy consumption and climate change in a speech at Memorial Union Friday, lauding the university and state's conservation efforts.
""This is genuinely a university with a worldwide representation,"" Manning said of the UW-Madison. ""This is a state that has been called the cradle of conservation.""
Manning spoke to approximately 300 attendees regarding the consequences of what he called ""energy insecurity"" and the impact oil dependence and rising energy consumption have on foreign relations, saying diplomacy and international conflicts will increasingly be based upon energy issues in the future.
""The U.S. depends more than ever on nations ... that do not support western values,"" said Manning, who believes the United States' oil addiction endangers financial stability due to the vulnerability of oil production facilities to natural disasters and terrorist attacks.
He then shifted his focus to climate change, pointing out that the 10 warmest years in terms of global temperature occurred in the last 11 years. He also mentioned the ""potential for population displacement"" as ocean levels rise, saying 70 percent of the world's population lives in areas that would be directly affected by rising sea levels.
Professor of Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences Stephan Hastenrath, said out of his 30 years of studying Ecuadorian glaciers that now ""a massive retreat of glaciers is very obvious.""
However, Hastenrath cautioned against assuming human activity is the sole cause of global warming.
Jon Heinrich, leader of environmental analysis and outreach for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said he investigates emerging air quality issues, but because air quality issues are becoming increasingly ""global in nature,"" the task of adequately addressing them is becoming more difficult.
Manning specifically addressed the role of the United States in the energy crisis, stating the nation uses 26 percent of the world's oil, though it fosters only four percent of the world's population.
He referenced the United States' refusal to sign the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement to reduce emissions, but also said the protocol did not extend far enough into the future to address the larger concerns of climate change.
Manning said the solution to halting climate change lies in technology, stressing openness to hydrocarbon alternatives and citing research that shows gas consumption could be cut in half if already-available automobile technology was widely implemented.
""It's growing,"" Manning said of American awareness of climate change in an interview after his presentation.
Even if U.S. climate change awareness is not sufficient, according to Manning, the main problem is electing leadership that explains the issue to society, making people aware of their environmental responsibilities.
""This isn't somebody else's problem—this is your problem,"" Manning said. ""This is the car you drive.""
