Getting Serious about Zero Carbon.
Context is key.
The summits, protests and political dog fights have so far missed the point and been ineffective. Why? Carbon levels have gone up and we are no closer to a real solution to our fossil fuel dependency. Whilst I buy the ideal that we “should” be able to live on the energy nature has provided, we cannot do so without inflicting massive amounts of suffering on the very poor. Our energy need vastly outweighs our renewable energy supply.
Humanity needs energy to avoid:
- Famine
- Fuel Poverty
- War
- Pollution
Climate Change itself is insignificant in comparison to the human cost of War or Famine. To avoid most of the above we need to get serious about moving to a zero carbon economy to improve our prospects as a species
There is massive investment in home insulation, advertising and lobbying for efficiency. Yet making a carbon based economy more efficient does nothing to reduce our reliance the fuel itself.
This will be a bitter pill to swallow for the Carbon loby, who I believe have the best of intentions. Efficiency savings for a Carbon economy are a massive waste of time, money and indeed energy. In order to achieve an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 the fact is developed economies will have reduce their carbon emissions to zero. Zero!
It is not possible to do so without huge investment in energy innovation. The ‘clean’ and renewable energy sources have so far failed to yield results despite decades of development. Even the electric car will not be our saviour. It may make us feel better, but that electricity still comes from a coal, gas or nuclear power plant.
Humanity is not currently long on effective solutions to this problem. The innovation investment has thus far been woefully inadequate. Spending on Clean Coal, Nuclear Fission or other more radical innovation by Governments is a fraction of what it needs to be in order to see any real progress.
The problem for the politician is that opposing the Green lobby is very difficult without marginalising yourself. The opposition to the Green lobby has done itself no favours by being in denial about the need to move away from a carbon economy. Allowing mainstream thinking to be influenced by fringe solutions.
Any workable solution requires significant government investment over the long term. The Cap and Trade policies have already failed as a revenue generating exercise & frankly have only caused political squabbles. The only possible solution is for the free market to recognise the massive opportunity the zero carbon economy is for the first to achieve a workable model.
Our carbon based fuel is finite and dwindling. Unless we find a solution we will have war, poverty & ultimately the slow death of humanity. Now is the time for us to use our best weapon against the odds. Our free market system. Generation Y has no adequate representation on the political level. We gave the world Facebook and twitter, now we have to change the political lexicon to deal with reality.
Energy Innovation needs a voice that is willing to take on the “Renewable is the only solution” argument & at the same time re-articulate the need to move from Fossil Fuel in context of the REAL consequences.
Do you agree?
