You would have thought that this would have been a fairly unambiguous subject area. As a species we are consuming fossil fuels at a far higher rate than they are produced. This is unsustainable and we have known for a while that it is unsustainable. We also know that the excessive use of fossil fuels is altering the chemical balance of our atmosphere. We have to find a viable alternative and we have to do it quickly. There is not much dispute about any of these statements as accurate statements of our current position, but it seems that whenever you try to have a discussion about these topics you become mired in so much spin from all sides of the debate that it quickly becomes almost impossible for a lay person to take an informed position. Lets look at these basic statements a little closer and you should see what I mean.
We are using fossil fuels at a faster rate than they are being produced. This is a fact and yet in discussion you start to hear that we have far more reserves of gas, oil and coal than we thought. New technologies such as “fracking” are giving us access to shale gas, previously abandoned coal mines are being re-opened in light of new mining technology and new areas for oil exploration are being discovered in Arctic and Antarctic regions that will keep us going for years, so there is nothing to worry about, right? Then an alternative view is presented, fracking causes earthquakes and water pipes that burst into flame, the new mining techniques damage the environment and threaten aquifer water supplies, the polar wildernesses are too precious a resource to threaten with oil exploration, so already we have conflict.
Turning now to the effect of using all of these fossil fuels, the statement that we are changing the composition of our atmosphere is pretty straightforward. The burning of fossil fuels adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. This is a fact. Ah, but the amount we produce is only the equivalent of a couple of volcanoes, and we can develop carbon capture and storage technology that will lessen any impact anyway. Besides there is no evidence that the CO2 that we produce is having a detrimental effect on us or our environment. To which the counter is often that CCS technology is unproven, and we can see climate change happening all around us so who says we aren’t contributing to that? Well, who says we are? It could all be part of a natural cycle! Natural cycle!? How can our pumping millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere be natural? Well it helps the trees and plants to become more prolific so that’s a good thing, right? What?! At the same time we are doing this we are cutting down rainforests to grow fuel crops! Are you mad!? Of course we’re changing the planet! Prove it! And so it goes on, and on, and on until the average Joe doesn’t know whether they are coming or going!
And what about finding alternative energy sources? Again this seems at first glance pretty straight forward. The fuel we use is limited and we need alternatives, but which one, or which combination gives us the best possibility? Solar? Wind? Hydro? Nuclear? Hydrogen? Something else entirely? Each comes with its own set of pros and cons depending on who you ask. Solar and Wind? Great but inefficient and a bit of an eyesore, and maybe a danger to birds, and anyway you need batteries which are polluting in their manufacture and don’t last well, and need maintenance and so on. Nuclear has so much bad press that it really isn’t a viable option, and that’s before we start to think about disposal of nuclear waste. Hydrogen seems possible but it takes energy to produce Hydrogen so um…well…um… You can begin to see the issues faced by a non-specialist trying to form an opinion, and this is just the tip of the (probably) melting iceberg. It gets much, much worse and far more heated than this.
So, what is one to do to establish a personal position on alternative energy. The first step is to try to understand where these conflicts come from. Where is the money in all of these discussions? Then read around the subject. From both sides. Be open minded, but at the same time highly cynical – oh, and if you find the stuff about “free energy” or “perpetual motion machines” you are probably better off taking those with a fairly significant pinch of salt…..Just a thought J
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