An organization celebrating its 100-year anniversary deserves to bask in its accomplishments. But the Air & Waste Management Association kicked off its annual conference in Pittsburgh yesterday with two forward-looking keynoters who predicted tough roads ahead as the world gets serious about global warming and energy issues.

Charles E. Bunch, PPG Industries chairman and chief executive officer, told the opening session audience that climate change is the hot topic today and the availability of energy is at the heart of that interest.

Mr. Bunch, who is also chairman of the National Association of Manufacturers, said the United States needs to adopt a comprehensive energy policy that includes alternative fuel development but doesn't ignore traditional fossil fuels.

He said energy prices have soared in recent years and that is not likely to change, given that world fuel needs are expected to increase by 50 percent by 2025, primarily because of increased demands from India, China and Brazil.

"Every company in America that intends on being around for a while will need to develop a framework for energy management, climate change and greenhouse gas emission reduction," Mr. Bunch said. "This involves defining your corporate position on this issue, and creating an implementation plan for change."

He advocated opening up additional land in the United States for natural gas exploration and government incentives for emerging energy technologies, including wind, solar and thermal.

Carnegie Mellon University professor Lester Lave, an international expert on the relationship between environmental issues and political economies, said the United States is facing a "carbon constrained future" that will require greenhouse gas emission reductions of at least 60 percent to 90 percent to affect climate change.

Those reductions can be accomplished through carbon capture and sequestration by electric power plants and other industries, development of nuclear power and renewable energy sources, and more energy efficiency.

Even stringent regulations for carbon capture and storage will cost less than 2 percent of the gross domestic economy and will not harm the nation's economy, he said.

Mr. Lave said a $3 floor price for gasoline should be established to attract sustained investment in alternative fuel development. The technology to change from oil to ethanol produced from switch grass -- a more efficient source than corn, and one which would not inflate food prices -- is available now, and such a change would have a positive effect on energy issues, Middle East policies and the environment.

He said ethanol from switch grass can be produced for $1.10 per gallon.

"The era of cheap energy use is over and the carbon controls that will be needed will require new ways of thinking about things," Mr. Lave said. "Those continuing to think like dinosaurs will go the route of dinosaurs."

The Air & Waste Management conference will run through Friday and is expected to attract 2,500 attendees to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown.

Don Hopey can be reached at dhopey@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1983.