The nub to progressively improved energy-use habits is
a matter of downward adjustments to fossil-fuel uptake,
coupled to an increased harvesting of free-flow energy
resources. The ‘energy-population’ crossover difficulties
shown up in box 3.3,Global population and energy use,
highlights the fact that earth island is fast running out of
yet-to-be-discovered oil and gas options. There is also an
imperative rejoinder to any speculation that the likes of
coal and shale might be used, for even were these
reserves tapped, the further carbon dioxide and
unscrubbed sulphur gas put into the atmosphere would
vastly downgrade life for all, and literally drown human
settlements in many low-lying estuarine areas and atoll
locations,and for this implacable reason is unacceptable.
From this premiss there arises an important trinity for
action: fossil-fuel conservation, reductions in the rate of
fossil-fuel use, and energy substitution from benign
energy sources. Pursuit of this trinity would enhance, not
impair, accustomed lifestyles, and do so by providing
sufficient mobility with greater safety, and greater home
and workplace comfort, enabling the money not spent on
energy profligacy to be put into other aspects of lifestyle
enhancement.
By what specific means?
- Through the importation and local construction of
energy-efficient automobiles (improving further, as in
the United Kingdom, upon the 1980s 30 mpg average
car – already a vast improvement over the previous
two decades – to a 45 mpg average car) andthe
phasing out of inefficient older vehicles.
Coda: Improve the balance of trade, via reduced oil
imports, at a stroke. - By applying vastly increased petrol pump taxes (which
would not so heavily hit fuel-efficient car owners) the
increased revenue going toward other transportation
schemes and pavement improvements.
Coda: taxes as high as US$1.00 a litre are in place in
car-loving Italy, $0.73 in Germany, and $0.67 in Britain.
These induce car-using efficiencies, yet do not curtail
lifestyle benefits from automobile utility. - By legislating and enforcing the uptake of passive
solar heat retention in buildings; installing high-rating
building insulation, energy-smart glazing, solar water
heating; also installing chip-controlled micro-climate
management systems within larger buildings, heat-
exchange pumps, variable speed electric motors, and
halogen light bulbs among a host of energy-conserving
soft-pathway technologies.
Coda: about one-third of total electricity output in New
World nations is consumed domestically, with about half
that consumption for water heating, an obvious area of
substitution and saving.- By educating the energy-consuming public about the
economic benefits and environmental gains which
flow on from energy conservation policies.
Coda: the UNESCO information sheet ‘Connect’ (produced
separately in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, and
Chinese) is one good example by which/world wide envi-
ronmental educational publicity can be promoted.
Down which sectoral avenues?
From urban lifestyle energy savings,fromsavings in primary
production,and fromsavings within industry.- Because such a high proportion of the population
within North America and Australasia is urban, the
accumulation of urban lifestyle energy savings, when
totalled, is impressive, particularly via the adoption of
mixed-use zoning. Such savings are cumulatively
significant: arising from the well-publicized litany of
home insulation, solar hot water heating, car pooling,
reduced out-of-home car trips, increased use of public
transport, reduced water consumption, lowered
product packaging and garbage output, and the instal-
lation of halogen lighting. Adjustments in these ways
reduces fossil-fuel and hydro energy consumption at
no loss to overall standards of living or human
comfort, and largely awaits individual realization and
personal action, coupled to official endorsement and
inducement, which has not been forthcoming from
energy suppliers. - Energy saving in primary production(agriculture, fish-
eries, silviculture and forestry) involves the complex-
ity of diverting away from fossil energy usage into a
greater uptake and usage of free-flow energy sources.
There are three policy possibilities: repressing the
propensity to over-mechanize (the case against the
likes of aerial fertilizer drops), to over-electrify
(the case against mains-fed gadgetry), and to reduce
Box 3.6 Kicking the energy-use habit
(Refer also to box 1.2 New Age Pragmatics)