♪ >> almost we are featuring's duty -- this year students told us the most urgent issue for the new president and congress.

our first prize high school winner is from wyoming. she believes transitioning to clean energy is an urgent issue in her documentary. take a look. >> every day starts with the use of energy. whether it is your alarm clock, turning on your light, heating, air conditioning, or driving to work. ever since the industrial revolution, fossil fuels have provided cheap and abundant energy that boosts economic development. >> that allows us to have very low taxes. it allows us to do incredible things in terms of funding our university, community college, our road systems.

that has been an absolute wonderful benefit to the state of wyoming. >> but there are downsides to fully relying on a single source of revenue. >> they go down. therefore, the bad thing is is quite inconsistent. >> the fluctuating prices of fossil fuels have led to the university of wyoming facing harsh budget cuts totaling $27.2 million and hundreds of layoffs. >> but other people in wyoming, those places that are very locally dependent on coal and natural gas, they are devastated. those towns are completely devastated. that should not be taken lightly by politicians. i also don't think that trying to protect a technology that is fading is a way to fix that. >> wyoming has other potential

energy sources. >> we have the best onshore wind in the continental united states. there is a great opportunity for wind development. >> wyoming is also a tremendous source for solar, which has gotten unbelievably inexpensive. >> i also think there is a great opportunity as we figure out storage solutions for increased use of nuclear power. >> not only wyoming, but our nation and the world at large would greatly benefit from transitioning from sustainable, renewable energy sources. >> we will have to find other things such as renewable energy. maybe this will help put some of our workers back to work. >> there are several challenges associated with renewables. >> it is tricky with wind, you have to get the energy source out of wyoming. therefore you need transition lines, you need a way to have it reach other centers of the united states that desperately are looking for energy.

>> all technologies renewable or not have their environmental consequences. >> it is transitioning from an industry -- it is going to take more than a generation. the issue is this problem will affect us within a generation. >> if you grow technology too fast, it generates carbon. >> in energy, there is no perfect solution. when there is no perfect solution, you look for the good. and the good is going to be a diverse energy supply that encompasses many of these things. >> what should our new president do? >> i think they need to give us help in states where they are now doing that are getting less dependent on fossil fuels. we need their support and their ideas how to help us through the transition. >> if there was a carbon test,

electricity generated from natural gas or other fossil fuels. it wouldn't be as cheap. maybe more people would buy wind. >> i would tell the new president don't rely solely on renewables. don't rely solely on conventionals. get a program in place where you will actually be to open both. you also want enough of that energy to make sure the prices remain so most people can afford to fill their car with gas. it's just as important to have reasonably priced energy as a consistent source of energy. you can't just cut off fossil fuels. you would be cutting off approximately 80% of energy supply. >> a better approach is to seek ways to allow us to use the abundant resources we have, and at the same time, reduce or eliminate any negative effect. as a nation we should support the innovation of new technologies that will make energy production and facilities cleaner and will improve energy

efficiency in our homes and businesses, and will help us find innovative, new ways to produce the energy that powers our daily lives. >> change the equation from, this is viewed as a liability, to how to turn it into an asset. >> energy efficiency are also important criteria. >> if we achieve the energy efficiency level of the japanese, that would take the world 25% of the way home to reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050. >> we want to keep our environmental and air standards up so we are not hurting arcades -- our kids, our people later on down the road. >> over one billion people live in energy policy -- poverty that don't have access to refrigeration, medicine, light. we need all energy sources.

>> if you just say now we are going to replace all the fossil fuels with renewables, we're still not meeting the energy needs of the planet. that should be the goal. how we add to the energy table rather than taken away. >> that actually came out of the international energy agency's world energy outlook 2008. this quote says the world energy system is at a crossroads. current global trends in energy supply and consumption are patently unsustainable. environmentally, economically, or socially. >> energy is like a big shipment. when you navigate those ships down the mississippi river, when you turn, you have to turn before you are in the turn. you are looking well before you are in the turn. the only challenge we face right now is we are already in the turn. >> fossil fuels are doing young -- our dwindling resources and

continuous use is unsustainable. the exponential demand, volatile prices and environmental and health concerns, we have no choice but to transition to alternative sources of energy. we might as well start now. ♪ >> to watch all the prize-winning documentaries in this year's competition visit studentcam.org. >> tonight on c-span, a look at the future of health care and vice president hence in japan has a conversation on the turkish referendum to expand president erdogan's powers. ♪ >> c-span's washington journal live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. coming up wednesday morning, sam baker discusses the supreme court justices neil gorsuch's first days on the bench.

cofounders talk about progressive activism and organization efforts to engage legislators at town hall meetings. larry kudlow will discuss efforts by republicans to adopt significant changes to the tax code. be sure to watch us into journal 7:00 eastern wednesday morning. join the discussion. >> now, dr. ezekiel emanuel of the university of pennsylvania on the future of health care. his book "prescription for the future" discusses practice s to make the u.s. health care system more affordable. after, a panel on the same topic. this is part of a daylong health care symposium hosted by pepperdine university school of business and management. [applause] >> thank you for that