Whether people believe in global warming or not, they should still take part in conserving energy for socioeconomic benefits, a nationally renowned global warming expert told a Madison audience Wednesday.

Joel Rogers, the co-founder and first chair of the Apollo Alliance, stressed the idea of using less energy and using the money saved for higher-paying jobs.

Newsweek recently listed Rogers as one of 100 Americans most likely to affect United States politics and culture in the 21st century.

"The big thing we should be doing here is greater energy efficiency — that's where the low-lying fruit is," Rogers said. "This place has cold winters and relatively hot summers, and so we burn a lot of excess energy."

Rogers, a professor of law, political science and sociology at the University of Wisconsin — as well as the director of the Center on Wisconsin Strategy — spoke as part of The Gaylord Nelson Retrospective Lecture Series.

The Apollo Alliance, according to Rogers, is an organization that has teamed up with many social rights groups around the country to address energy and environmental concerns.

"The goal is try to get America energy independent within a decade, and it would be great for our democracy as well," Rogers said.

Small changes in the consumption of energy, he added, could make a significant impact on the rate of global warming.

Rogers mapped out the simple ways the Apollo Alliance hopes to achieve its goal. He said excessive use of oil and natural gas — especially in heating buildings — is the primary problem.

"Buildings produce 40 percent of our pollution in our atmosphere because buildings are heated and cooled using gas," Rogers said. "So your house is basically a smoke stack."

Though he said hydro and thermal energy are possible solutions to the problem, Rogers added energy efficiency is a much simpler task.

According to Rogers, if Milwaukee were to update its old houses, it could save $15 million per year.

In his speech, Rogers shared his own personal views on energy conservation as well.

"I'm all for wind, solar, geothermal and hydrogen power," Rogers said. "We are wasting a ton of money, and that money can be recaptured effectively if we simply retrofit a bunch of buildings and start behaving in a slightly more responsible way."

Rogers presented a plan that could potentially save $4 billion and make the United States less dependent on foreign oil, as well as reduce carbon emissions by 23 percent in the next 10 years.

Though some members of the audience doubted that Rogers' ambitious goals are feasible, UW freshman Katie Ehlers, who attended the event, said she enjoyed Rogers' thoughts.

"I liked Rogers' message because it applied simple actions in making vast changes to society," Ehlers said.