Jeffery Sachs says that he "doesn't blame China" for burning coal or for not making an agreement. He notes that they are not an "annex 1 country" and have "a legal right to expect annex 1 countries to take the lead". The USA, as an Annex 1 country, is obviously not doing so. But how can't you blame countries when we all are going to suffer due to their reasoning? Just because someone else doesn't take the lead, does that mean that we are justified in doing wrong? Especially if we know what we are doing is wrong? Is it just me that feels that we are still in kindergarten?
So, what is the future energy landscape? I recently attended a seminar at the Earth Institute at Columbia University that made me seriously consider this question. The speakers stressed that wind and solar are technologically possible yet not completely reliable (due to their reliance on sun and wind). Also, crude oil refineries don't only produce oil...where will we get plastics, polymers, etc? I have always considered the energy issue in terms of replacements but never thought about the value chain. We need to think of a way to use wastes as a fuel....and bio-fuel is too precious to burn! So, what can we do?
Subsaharan africa is already paying a high price for power and due to growth, we have to opportunity to introduce green energy from the start. I grew up in Tanzania and we relied on hydroelectricity. I remember that during droughts,we not only had water shortages, but electricity ones too. Iringa was windy, really windy and cold in the dry season. They could have easily used wind power and that would not have run out. But even wind energy has a major impact on the habitats that surround it. It makes me scared when I consider that we don't have alternatives that are completely safe or viable. We need one. Or am I being too simplistic? We could combine all the alternatives. The speakers at the seminar at the Earth institute said that the knowledge is here, the barrier is "access to intellectual property rights" and adaption.
Jeffery Sachs stated that we live in a "completely incoherent climate environment". I agree. Helle Bank Jorgensen stated "children are the change agents of the future...but can we wait that long?"
See The Danish Commission on Climate Change's most recent report
Jeffery Sachs stated that we live in a "completely incoherent climate environment". I agree. Helle Bank Jorgensen stated "children are the change agents of the future...but can we wait that long?"
See The Danish Commission on Climate Change's most recent report
Great post, Saba. You are right -- these are incredibly important issues that too many people are ignoring. Having lived off the grid for a year now, I believe that solar power is a very viable technology that could at least fuel most homes (not as sure about big industry). The technology has come a long way. We even get a good charge when it is overcast.
ReplyDeleteCombining technologies is important as well. Our climate here is a lot like Tanzania, lots of sun and lots of wind, and many people have wind turbines to supplement solar.
I think that the biggest issues (obstacles?) are long-term thinking and political will. The infrastructure for alternative energy is expensive initially, but pays off over time. It seems very hard for us (government, industry, individuals) to think long term. If we don't though, the next generation is going to have severe problems. In the US, we also seem to lack the political will to get serious about alternative energy sources. (Europe is much better at this.) We have so many resources here to solve these problems -- if only more people were attuned to it and made it a priority.
Raising attention to these issues is important. Keep writing!
Thank you karen, I would be interested in learning more about your use of solar energy. When I was younger, they used solar energy in the national parks (instead of generators) as it was more cost effective but they only used it for lights and the fridges. Water was heated by using wood stoves. So, I would love to hear about the changes and how useful it is for tasks such as cooking or heating water. Thank you for your kind comments.
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