Local view: 'Call to liberty' would save U.S. through unity

Challenges are rising for America and its citizens. Many people wonder whether education, commerce, faith and governance will extend our freedom over the next century.

Communications technology has given us an explosion of information but has not added to our consensus about the future. The privatization of leisure aggravates our disunity. Given the unprecedented challenges we face, it is wise to consider how we can unify our communities with a call to liberty -- before political paralysis disables the republic.

Liberty is a practical subset of freedom. People seek liberty to enjoy social, political and economic rights and responsibilities. Such freedom is worth fighting for, so it is worth defining our common ground if we hope to hear that call.

Libertarians in today's arena want all the rights and privileges of the republic without paying for them. Democrats seem to think we can spend money; we do not have to buy stability. Republicans want to do nothing, so we can grow our way through the 21st century. And the Tea Party seems angry that they could not get off the train in the 20th century.

They are all wrong. There is no ideological answer to the rising risks of economic recession, energy instability and ecosystem deterioration. We must respond to the call to liberty represented in this complex dynamic. The global clock is ticking on U.S. inefficiency and waste. Our moral hazard grows for kids and communities the longer we wait for a unified response.

America has the capability to response proactively to this configuration of risk.

This is not a doom forecast, but a realistic call for hope and teamwork -- both of which are renewable American assets. We must acknowledge our vulnerability and our lack of focused domestic and foreign policy. To avoid social, economic and ecological suffering, we need collaboration from education, commerce, faith and government teams. We cannot afford to wait until 2012. The call to liberty is the best route we have to secure jobs, capital and our environment.

The Twin Ports community recently has seen institutions beginning to respond: in city hall, the school district, University of Minnesota Duluth and University of Wisconsin-Superior, the faith community, Sustainable Twin Ports and the chamber of commerce. More is needed.

The U.S. economy depends upon fossil fuels for 86 percent of its energy. The emissions from these fuels are pushing us toward the tipping point of 450 parts per million of carbon dioxide. That concentration will trigger weather events that will dissemble the global economy.

Natural systems are keeping score. U.S. oil production peaked in 1970, and global oil production peaked recently. We must make other arrangements or face more Deepwater Horizons.

Government subsidies have created the U.S. energy profile. Estimated for 2009, we used 40 percent oil, 23 percent natural gas, 22 percent coal, 8 percent nuclear and 7 percent renewables. Since we are in the post-peak period, we have one good choice as a path to a stable 21st century.

First, we must reduce 10 percent of our energy use with conservation. Second, we can extend our energy efficiency by 10 percent with current technologies. Third, we can add 10 percent more renewable energies from clean, local sources over the next 10 years. This is our call to liberty for the next decade. It offers jobs, capital, environmental quality and stability in exchange for American teamwork.

We must learn our way to a cleaner, more efficient 21st century. This is why we must link education, commerce, faith and government institutions to the process of unifying Ameri­can communities. We have the technology to broadcast a unifying call to liberty. But we need to set common goals and share best practices. Liberty is not free, but challenges us to respond together -- as we did in 1776, 1929 and 1941.

Bill Mittlefehldt is an energy coordinator for Clean Energy Resource Teams (cleanenergyresourceteams.org), which is funded by the Minnesota Department of Commerce. He has two relatives who fought in the American Revolution.