Kako si?
1 year ago
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Climate You Change
A few years ago, I was invited to a national climate policy roundtable, as a representative of a large energy producer. (Actually, it was my boss who was invited, but I got to go there anyway). I was seated to a raised podium, with several environmentalists, members of NGOs and journalists. The discussion was heading the wrong way, big energy lobbies were the culprits of all the bad things that happen in the world and suddenly I felt like the Nick Naylor character in the movie Thank You for Smoking. The prevailing theme was, "Let the polluter pay!", with all eyes turned towards me.
After a barrage of speeches, it was finally my turn: "You're right. The polluter must pay. But who is the polluter? It is you. And me. Every time you open the refrigerator, turn on the TV, or the air conditioner. Every time you open a youghurt, or start your car. The only way we can change things is to start with ourselves."
In my opinion, burning fossil fuels for production of electricity is a sin: we should use renewables, if possible, and spare fossil fuel for other industries. On the other hand, changing our industry and investing in renewable or low-carbon technology does not only bring costs, but also enables us to make a quantum leap towards higher energy efficiency of our industry and smaller share of energy in our products.
Can you do it? Do you think twice before turning on the second an the third light? How much hot water do you spend? Do you choose bicycle over car, take public transport or even walk short distances? What kind of lightbulbs do you use?
... or is electricity (energy) still too cheap?
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3 comments:
I try to do all that (and slip every now and then). But I think the problem of this acting locally is we get no positive feedback. I turn off the lights, you save water while brushing teeth, somebody else recycles his trash like COD, but we can see or feel no benefit from it. And as we humans go, we sonner or later lose interest.
You guys from coorporations and government should do better than that. Make electricity super expensive then. Make us pay if we dont save it and get rewarded if we do. Help make energy efficient homes more affordable. Enable poor people from 3rd world to use eco-friendlier technologies...
Any suggestions?
Look how much money Shell invests in renewable energy:
"We are increasing our investment, ploughing most of our profits into finding, producing and refining oil and natural gas. Our investment levels have more than doubled since 2000, to $25 billion in 2006."
"Affordability has been the main problem for new alternatives like biofuels, wind and solar. Even at recent high oil and natural gas prices, they cannot yet compete on price on a large scale."
Significant amount isnt it?
Kaj je zdej, a ne bos nic vec pisal? No daj no. Samo tri vrstice. Ko te tako rada berem.
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