World energy consumption could be cut by half if clean technology applied

[deadparrot]

PARIS (AFP) - Oil and electricity consumption across the world could easily be cut by half, with major benefits for the environment, if clean energy technologies that are currently available were applied, an international watchdog said.

"A sustainable energy future is possible, but only if we act urgently and decisively to promote, develop and deploy a full mix of energy technologies... We have the means, now we need the will," said Claude Mandil, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA).

He was presenting an IEA report written in response to a call last year from G8 leaders who asked the agency to develop and advise on alternative scenarios and strategies for a clean, clever and competitive energy future.

The IEA report was published ahead of next month's Saint Petersburg summit of the G8 group of the world's leading industrial nations, which is expected to focus largely on energy questions.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/ieag8energytechnology

[agio]

1. The problem is not technological

... as this report makes clear. It is political and cultural. Our society lacks the will.

The saddest thing, IMHO, is that the first industrialized country that figures out how to move to renewable resources will have an enormous economic advantage.

[spag68]

3. tech news

Since I'm a technophobe and don't know how to cut and paste, I refer you to renewableenergyacces. It's a great energy website. What the heck is IMHO, I still can'tfigure that one?

[agio]

6. netspeak

IMHO = In My Humble Opinion

(If you ever run across an acronym you don't get, try looking it up here.)

:)

[spag68]

7. thank you

humble is good

[Gman]

2. Then they wouldn't sell as much petroleum

And shareholder wealth in oil companies would decline, not to mention executive stock option values.

[KansDem]

9. Gore made this clear in "An Inconvenient Truth"

In one part, a scientist/geologist/economist was assessing the remainder of the world's oil in terms of dollars (I believe the figure was $100 trillion(?)), with the comment that with this kind of revenue to be had, oil companies and their execs weren't going to go "green" anytime soon.

The last bit of the world's oil will be used in Charon's motorboat as he transfers the last of us into Hell.

[Lorien]

4. He (or she) who can control the world's energy controls the world

politicians aren't about to put their own power at risk by saving the world's poor and the planet through the use of alternative, renewable clean energy. They've grown fat and rich from fossil fuel dollars; they depend on our own dependence.

[The2ndWheel]

5. Why would it be cut in half?

Wouldn't consumption grow?

[spag68]

8. energy consumption

is not actually bad. It's the way in which the energy is created that is bad. If the energy was pollution free and not harmful to the planet, then an increase would mean that more people would not be too hot or cold or hungry.

[mom cat]

10. The :half" figure has consumption calculated in. It can be done. I

[EVDebs]

11. Indeed books Plan B 2.0 and Winning The Oil Endgame are online

and readable here. Both underline and underscore your point.

DUers need to read these books !

Plan B 2.0 shows that by 2031, assuming India and China continue 'as is' with US-style auto and energy consumption economic models, we are in for an unsustainable future...

http://www.earth-policy.org/Books/PB2/Contents.htm

and

http://www.oilendgame.com (downloadable)

"" The route we suggest for the transition beyond oil will expand customer choice and wealth, and will be led by business for profit. We propose novel public policies to accelerate this transition that are market-oriented without taxes and innovation-driven without mandates. A $180-billion investment over the next decade will yield $130-billion annual savings by 2025; revitalize the automotive, truck, aviation, and hydrocarbon industries; create a million jobs in both industrial and rural areas; rebalance trade; make the United States more secure, prosperous, equitable, and environmentally healthy; encourage other countries to get off oil too; and make the world more developed, fair, and peaceful."" from Abstract

We need to act NOW. The situation is dire but still fixable, SNAFU but not yet FUBAR.

[BlueCaliDem]

12. "World energy consumption could be cut by half if clean technology applied

....but so would the profits, and the power garnered by those profits for those who want to keep ruling the world.


And they ain't gonna let that happen.

[Gregorian]

13. It's population.

Even if we clean up our poisonous emissions by half, once the population doubles again, we're right back in the same position we're in now. And then what? Try to engineer our way out of it again?

It's about population. There are two factors. One is the number of users, and the other is the toxicity of the consumption.

Before 1900, we were consuming in small enough numbers that it wasn't a global effect. The Black forest disappeared. But there wasn't any global alteration. The difference is that now we are using petroleum combustion, and doing it in high numbers. But the fallacy is that if we just change the technology, we'll be back where we were. Not the case. That's because we have increased the number of users by nearly a magnitude. Even so-called clean technology isn't clean. It may not have emissions at the user end, but there is still manufacturing involved. And to produce whatever needs this many people want is going to have global consequences.

It's the population. And until it is addressed, all of the rest of this talk is hot air. I should say that doing something is better than not doing anything. Go ahead and reduce the poisonous effects from what they currently are. Why not? But do not lose sight of the fact that that is only a symptom.

So few people get this. It's not something people want to get. Because it's highly disturbing.

[iconoclastNYC]

14. But think of the poor energy companies that would go bankrupt!

We need to nationalize the energy industries.

[IChing]

15. Some really good news on this front

Which I posted here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x57917


Large-Scale, Cheap Solar Electricity

[Omaha Steve]

16. Just saw Inconvenient Truth Another film on the way!

Who Killed the Electric Car? We saw the trailer in the theater. Looks very good too.

http://www.sonyclassics.com/whokilledtheelectriccar/

[fshrink]

17. So would profit.