Article: Saving the world = huge profits

[newfangle]

Even since my lefter days I've always contended that the promotion of efficiency does not imply a diminished quality of life.

Humanity has the technology to promote much more efficient lifestyles, while at the same time not reducing comfort, quality, and the quantity of things that we are used to. There seems to be some sort of fallacy established by the environmentalists claiming that its our duty to save the planet, even if it means economic downturn. The sceptics respond by claiming that such policy would do more harm than good.

Well, it turns out both are dead wrong. Please read the following article. If you absolutely must skim, at least stop at the figures.

This article confirms what I believed for a long time, and I think its time we started taking a different approach to saving the environment.


http://www.sciam.com/media/pdf/Lovinsforweb.pdf

 

[Aphex_Twin]

Excellent stuff, newfangle. Only the article does not stress enough the fact that subsidies are doing nothing. In fact, they might be diverting resources that would otherwise go into making real efficient use of "alternatives".

 

[North King]

Bloody .pdf, I can't read it.

 

[newfangle]

How can you not read a .pdf? There is a shorter abstract under the September issue section of www.sciam.com.

If you are really interested, you could buy the mag.

 

[amadeus]

Fantastic article, newfangle.

I didn't know that a lot of major corporations are working on energy efficiency as well as they are.

 

[Gothmog]

Nice, both bigfatron and I have made very similar arguments in different threads here at CFC.

But even energy efficiency will not stop the tragety of the commons, this is a strong argument for some type of environmental regulatory body.

 

[The Last Conformist]

Hydrocarbon use today is very much more efficient today than it was in 1900, yet carbon dioxide emissions are higher. The first steam engines had efficiencies of ~0.25% - the very best modern steam turbines reach ~90%, yet hydrocarbon use is up by orders of magnitude since the 18th C.

This is just to say that efficiency is just half the story.


On a more personal economic level, he's right you can save alot of money by being energetically efficient. You won't save the world, but piles of cash might be a decent consolation.