Last time I
posted I mentioned that a recent poll showed that less than half of Canadians
“worried a great deal” about global warming. I interpret that to mean that most
don’t believe it to be real or to be caused by human activity. Because the
scepticism/apathy towards climate change is so widespread, I don’t want to
waste my time trying to convince people that it is real (although, if you’re
interested in hearing what scientists have to say on the matter lately, read this, this, and this). Instead, I’d like to point out that it
doesn’t really matter whether or not climate change is real; because reducing carbon pollution
and improving the overall sustainability of our society as a whole is not only
the right thing to do, but is the surest route to long-term prosperity.
Most
arguments against taking action on global warming have to do with predictions
of an economic Armageddon if we make the transition to renewable energy with
little or no carbon emissions. At the bottom of this post I’ll show a video
that outlines a 40 year energy plan for the US that not only nearly eliminates
America’s carbon footprint; but also cuts costs, increases national security by
eliminating the need for foreign oil, and creates a sustainable path forward.
The idea that sustainable energy is not economically feasible is a myth, and it
becomes more so every day as new technologies emerge. The video highlights the
work of the Rocky Mountain Institute, which did an energy retrofit of the
Empire State Building recently with better than predicted results in terms of
energy savings. You can read about the specifics here.
The thing
that frustrates me about the conversation regarding reducing pollution in
general is that nobody seems to have made the argument that business as usual
is sustainable. Think about that for a moment; in all the arguments for
withdrawing from the Kyoto Protocol, for reducing protections for the
environment, and for increasing development in the tar sands, nobody is making
the argument that we can continue on this path indefinitely (I haven’t heard
anyone make that argument before anyway, sorry if I’m wrong on that). I don’t
understand how it is that people are able to justify the idea that we should
continue down a path that leads to a complete exhaustion of our natural
resources. People argue that we have enough coal reserves or natural gas or
whatever to last a century, so why should we switch now to renewable resources?
The answer is that even just the methods of extraction destroy entire
ecosystems, and have negative effects on water supplies. Why poison our own
water just so we can continue to use the same old energy sources we’re used to?
Why wouldn’t we want to ensure that we’re using the most efficient and cheapest
means of generating electricity? It makes no sense to continue down the path
we’re on.
The myth
that renewable energy is too expensive needs to stop now; the idea that it is
more economically viable to keep driving towards a cliff needs to end before it
ends us. This article explains just how economically
feasible renewable energy is. I’m going to post a few more videos in the coming
weeks that outline different groups that show just how much better life could
be using more sustainable designs and energy sources. Please spread the word.
