Van Jones rallies the netroots
Van Jones delivered the final keynote address at Networks Nation today, stopping in Austin to talk about green jobs and the political prospects for addressing both the energy and climate woes of the country. The message from the netroots, he said, should be clear: "We cannot drill and burn our way out of this problem. If we do, we will burn this planet."
Van Jones delivered the final keynote address at Networks Nation today, stopping in Austin to talk about green jobs and the political prospects for addressing both the energy and climate woes of the country. The message from the netroots, he said, should be clear: "We cannot drill and burn our way out of this problem. If we do, we will burn this planet."
"We can say no, we're not going to drill and burn out way out. We're going to invent and invest our way out," said Jones.
Jones, the founder of the green jobs and environmental justice group Green For All, just returned from a trip to the Arctic with a group of political and business leaders that included Tom Daschle, Madeline Albright, and Jimmy Carter.
He noted that one of the things that affected him the most on the trip was talking to Jimmy Carter, a Democrat who also became president amid energy and economic strains. The netroots crowd is widely backing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, and Jones used that example as a cautionary tale for the online activists gathered in the room.
Jones focused on the current collusion of energy and economic crises, and about what the netroots need to be pulling for going forward, stressing that getting Obama elected will only be the beginning of the struggle. Like Carter, he'll face significant struggles in addressing a litany of concerns, foremost among them being climate, energy, and economic downturn.
