From Bruce Roberts comes a proposal for a Unified Green Field Theory.
I hereby propose just such an overarching message, a mere five words long: Use renewably generated electricity, efficiently, or URGEԚ²
As far as greens are concerned, everything that advances that goal should be supported. What doesn’t should be ignored or opposed.
This isn’t just for greens anymore. It’s for everyone. Slowing climate change will be a worldwide effort. His proposal includes –
Mine negawatts. The cheapest source of new energy, as greens are practically hoarse from repeating, is not using it.
Well put. The more efficiently we use energy, the less we will need. This lessens demand. Entrenched interests will scream because it’s in their selfish interests to produce as much power as possible. Yet again, we see how working to lessen global warming will produce seismic political and economic shifts.
Electrify. We need to shift almost all power use to electricity.
It’s easier to find clean, renewable sources of electricity than it is to find clean, renewable liquid fuels. The logic is inexorable: We need to shift almost all power use to electricity.
This will mean the end of the internal combustion engine for transportation, which will also end the oil industry as we know it. Pass me a hanky.
Kill coal. Coal is the enemy of the human race.
Coal is hugely polluting when burned to produce power plus mining it destroys enormous areas. America’s dirty (in both senses of the word) little secret is that much of its power comes from coal. Ditto for many other countries. Again, doing away with coal will create political firestorms, destroy some businesses, and create new ones.
Upgrade the grid. Dirty sources of electricity must be phased out in favor of renewable sources like wind, solar, geothermal, hydrokinetic, cogeneration and biomethane
Clean, renewable sources of electricity means way less greenhouse gases will be emitted into the atmosphere. It also implies that less energy will be used because the systems are more efficient. This is what the planet as a whole must do.
URGEԚ² logo from Sustainability in Hawaii (susHI for short) “blogging the latest science and best practices from an island perspective.” They have a wealth of useful information, check it out.