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If we could wave a magic wand & cut global energy consumption in half via more public transit & denser living, but still burning fossil fuels... we would have t
by ip26 5y ago
If we could wave a magic wand & cut global energy consumption in half via more public transit & denser living, but still burning fossil fuels... we would have the exact same crisis, perhaps delayed a few years.
I'm naturally inclined towards austerity, but this problem cannot be fixed with cutbacks & efficiency alone.
- simonh 5y agoNot at all, reducing global energy consumption by half would massively reduce, as well as delay the total long term impact. It’s true a lot of impact is baked in due to past emissions, but that’s no reason for complacency or fatalism. There still a lot we can do to reduce total impact and mitigate the impact we will suffer.
- ip26 5y agoI don't advocate complacency or fatalism, instead I've come to hold the opinion that rapidly shifting to low/zero carbon technology is our best shot. Just look at how quickly natural gas felled king coal - a matter of years - once it became significantly cheaper. (We can't stop at natural gas, but it does produce half the CO2 as coal) Similarly, there is a huge market-driven surge in renewables: https://coloradosun.com/2021/01/25/solar-energy-colorado-united-power-politics-economics/ https://coloradosun.com/2021/01/25/solar-energy-colorado-uni... A key part of this viewpoint is that strong demand in the market can actually be an accelerator. Turning back to austerity - even if a 50% drop in demand could save us, it's just never going to happen. Even the global COVID lockdowns made less than a 10% cut in energy consumption. You'd be stunningly successful if you cut even 1% through austerity campaign.