March 11th, 2009
Here's one view of a green future: more jobs and healthier planet
The Status Quo Crowd (SQC) are gonna write this off as left-wing, Euro-socialist propaganda. The SQC better hope the ideas in this report don’t make their way into the halls of power because it proposes wholesale changes in the status quo and a peaceful revolution in how big business does business in America. And a revolution in how governments from Washington to town hall do their business as well.
The report was prepared by the European Renewable Energy Council and Greenpeace. Its title is a subversive “A Sustainable USA Energy Outlook.” You will be able to see it on the Greenpeace website for energy policy. We all know how radical Greenpeace can be: they think whales are more important than corporate profit.
The report was presented today by Greenpeace and the notorious U.S. Senator, Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Expect MSM (money-silenced-media, or Main Stream Media) to largely ignore this. Also expect some of the brighter folks inside the Obama Administration to be taking notes. The report was written by scientists and engineers at the German Aerospace Center.
Here’s what I saw as I virtually leafed through the report:
Current, off-the-shelf clean energy technology can cut U.S. CO2 emissions from current levels by 24% by 2020 and 85% by 2050.
To do that would cost one-half as much and create twice as many jobs as it would take to achieve these reductions with nuclear power and other “dangerous energy sources,” says the report.
There is “tremendous potential for emission reductions through energy efficiency in home heating and cooling, which accounts for almost half of home energy use.”
“Electricity generation from both coal and oil would be phased out entirely by 2050.” There go the votes of Senators from the coal and oil states.
“On a per capita basis, U.S. emissions would drop from 18.6 to 2.1 tons/yr by 2050. For comparison, today, the developed nations of Europe together emit 7.6 tons/yr per capita, China emits 3.4 tons/yr per capita, and India just 1 ton/yr per capita.” Isn’t it nice to know we Americans are still so powerful we can emit twice as much greenhouse gas per capita as the Europeans? Five times more than the Chinese and all their coal-burning plants?
“Because achieving the emissions cuts demanded by the science becomes
more costly and difficult the longer we wait, it is critical to set strong targets for near-term emissions reductions as well as long-term reductions by 2050.”
They know us well in Europe. An American has the gawd-given right to drive a car whenever she or he feels like it so they assume “the U.S. car fleet grows by 20 percent from the year 2000 to 2050. However, with highly efficient technology, including plug-in hybrid vehicles that get 100 miles per gallon or more, battery-electric powertrains, as well as expanded access to public transportation, the energy demand of the transportation sector is reduced 40 percent by 2050… the U.S. would stop wasting energy and reap enormous efficiency gains.”
Where’s all the energy coming from? The report proposes a huge increase in major renewable sources. 50% increase in hydro by 2050; over 1000% increase in wind power from 2010 to 2050; 2500% increase in geothermal energy use; plus almost infinite increases in solar photovoltaic and solar collector; use of tidal and biomass generation, etc.
The report sees nearly eight million green energy jobs by 2030, over 14 million by 2050.
A newsman since 1969, Harry Fuller has worked for CBS, ABC, CNBC Europe, CNET and was founding news director at TechTV. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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