Thanks to Fran Alexander for the great column (Jan. 5) about what we need to change to live in accordance with the demands of the planet and the some other 3 million to 100 million species with which we share it.
There’s a lot to do: Reduce pollution, conserve energy, be more energy efficient, incentivize renewable energies, localize food production, walk and bicycle, use electric transportation and rail, design our neighborhoods sustainably, practice family planning and restructure the economy to meet basic human needs. We have to stop thinking we can continue the present destructive paradigm of endless economic growth. We can’t reduce total energy consumption and produce economic growth at the same time.
According to Robert E. King, renewable power engineer, there are two essential elements to rein in growth.
One, a cap on total energy generation. Since even renewables can have negative environmental impacts, every megawatt hour of generation by renewables should permanently replace a megawatt hour of generation by fossil fuels.
Two, there should be a price on carbon. As it is, we are paying the external costs of fossil fuel-fired electric generation in negative health and environmental impacts.
Conservation and energy efficiency in themselves are good but can fall short in absence of a price on carbon. If we conserve, the price can go down, encouraging more usage.
In California, efficiency has worked because the prices were allowed to creep up.
Most of us don’t want higher fuel prices, but a revenue-neutral carbon fee can be designed to return a dividend to the consumer, so that two-thirds could break even or even make a little money. And we really have no choice.
Climate change is happening, Carbon dioxide is more than 400 parts per million in the atmosphere.
We can’t leave this nightmare to our children.
SHELLEY BUONAIUTO
Fayetteville
Opinion, Pages 5 on 01/08/2014