CSE commends the City of San Diego’s staff and elected officials for their efforts to make the region cleaner, greener and more efficient.

Usually I go on vacation to relax and unwind. Recently, I came back from a cruise more stressed than when I left because of what I witnessed going on with Alaska’s climate. When I left San Diego in mid-May, it was 56 degrees. I expected to land in Anchorage and find seasonal temperatures, but it was 74 degrees. Worse, locals told me the snow had disappeared two weeks earlier.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s goal to curb oil use by half and generate half of California’s energy from renewable sources by 2030 is laudable. Diversifying our energy sources, however, isn’t just about creating jobs, investing in innovation or slowing climate change. It’s really about keeping our industries, businesses and families safe.

While serving in the Navy, I was charged with finding opportunities to reduce costs in order to free up resources for operations. My team quickly discovered that energy and water were the most lucrative areas for savings, principally because of our wasteful behaviors.

We Homo sapiens have always had to adapt to climate, geology and geography. However, in the 20^th century, through our burning of fossil fuels — coal, oil and gas — and mass deforestation, which increases atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, we are causing the atmosphere to warm and the climate to change.

Recently, we dropped the “California” from our name to become the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE). It’s not because we are doing anything less in California, but instead it reflects the fact that we are doing work in other states – and plan on being even more engaged in clean energy not only statewide, but throughout the nation.