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Stephen Mullenix, principal of the US Renewables Group, speaks during the Anderson Forecast. A pa

A panel of energy analysts met Thursday to discuss the need for a renewed perspective on the world’s current energy challenges during the UCLA Anderson Forecast’s quarterly conference.

They emphasized the need for breakthroughs in finding alternative energy sources and a redefined attitude toward the fuel crisis.

John Podesta, the keynote speaker and CEO of the Center for American Progress, said the United States is facing severe energy threats that can no longer be ignored.

“The U.S. gets more than 60 percent of its oil from foreign sources, which is diminishing our ability to exercise global leadership and keep our country safe,” Podesta said. “Foreign oil is the lifeblood to our economy and (is) our greatest threat.”

Podesta warned against perpetuating Americans’ current energy habits, noting that the United States already generates 45 percent of the world’s automobile carbon dioxide emissions. He said Americans can reduce fossil fuel emissions by converting to alternative energy fuels for their cars, which many businesses are beginning to invest in.

“This morning I drove here in a biodiesel car, but there are almost no stations in California where I could stop to fill up the tank,” Podesta said.

Biodiesel is a fuel made from vegetable oil that runs in any unmodified diesel engine.

But Severin Borenstein, director of the UC Energy Institute and a professor at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, said that alternative forms of fuel are difficult to use for transportation, as they store energy inefficiently.

“One of the most efficient ways to store energy in portable matter is gas,” Borenstein said. “We need to find an alternative portable storage of energy for transportation purposes.”

Podesta said the United States is lagging behind other countries in terms of energy efficiency, as only six percent of the country’s energy resources are renewable.

As a result, global warming has already contributed to destructive hurricanes, rising sea levels, thousands of deaths related to heat waves, and the near loss of significant landmarks, Podesta said.

Possible solutions to current energy problems include capturing solar and wind energy, as well as using the heat stores in the crust of the Earth and discovering new sources of alternative energy.

Podesta added that these changes in energy usage should be implemented at the state, national and international levels.

California already has demonstrated its awareness of the energy crisis, as it was the first state in the nation to pass legislation to regulate carbon dioxide emissions, Podesta said.

On Sept. 1, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation capping greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.

“California led the way in the information revolution. Now it is poised to lead the way in the technological revolution for finding alternative fuels,” Podesta said.

Podesta discussed Proposition 87, which will appear on the ballot for the Nov. 7 election and which would establish a $4 billion program to reduce oil and gas usage by 25 percent over 10 years.

But Borenstein expressed dissatisfaction that proponents of Proposition 87 advertise that the program will not cost people anything, but rather will tax oil companies.

“We need to live up to the reality that energy is expensive and we will have to give up something to make a significant difference,” Borenstein said.

He said that the world is facing three energy source challenges: cost-efficient supply, environmental effects and geopolitical ramifications. Currently, he said, U.S. politicians are too concerned with the first challenge, and by attempting to keep energy costs as low as possible they lose sight of the latter two costs of global warming.

Rather than focus on the monetary challenges of alternative energy sources, Borenstein said Americans should concentrate on recognizing the wide-reaching environmental effects of using fossil fuels in order for the country to move toward using renewable energy sources.

“If we continue to go down the road where costs are the No. 1 priority, then fossil fuels will win. We will not recognize that there are other costs of using energy, such as the enormous environmental and geopolitical costs,” Borenstein said. “But if we acknowledge this, we can find alternative energy sources that are more cost-effective on a larger and more comprehensive scale.”