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Aloha and welcome to Issue #4 of OUR ENVIRONMENT -- ONLINE. We begin our second year of electronic publication with an overview of perhaps the most complex and pervasive of all environmental topics -- energy. Our theme -- POWER FROM THE PEOPLE -- reflects our belief our individual decisions to make energy efficiency and conservation a part of our lives is working today and is our best hope for tomorrow.
FIRST SOME BASIC FACTS
- Here in the US we spend well over $2,000 per capita on all annual energy purchases. This amount is just under what we pay for housing and medical costs. Overall our national energy bills approach $440 billion per year.
- Most of this energy currently comes from burning fossil fuels. In the US over 17 million barrels of oil go up in smoke every day. Over seven million of these barrels are imported. The transportation sector alone accounts for nearly two thirds of this total. 97 out of every 100 miles traveled by cars, trucks, buses, and airplanes, is powered by fossil fuels.
- We also consume huge amounts of energy in our homes with appliances, including heating and cooling equipment, and water heaters, account for 90% of our residential energy usage.
- At the current rate demand for energy worldwide is now projected to increase by 40% to 50% in less than 15 years. These same projections indicate that this increase will be fueled by substantially the same mix of resources as today --78% fossil fuels, 18% renewables and 4% nuclear. If these projections are realized global carbon dioxide emissions, the major culprit in global climate change, will be more than double today's rate. Unfortunately, many experts believe these projections are low because of the exponential rate of energy consumption in developing countries.
The fact is, no matter whose projections are utilized, if we continue our current energy habits we are likely to see negative environmental, economic, social and political trends continue. We'll see higher prices, more shortages, and increased global political conflicts. The negative environmental consequences -- increased danger of global climate change, increased pollution, increased destruction of habitat and wildlife -- will get worse, not better.
What then are the answers to our energy dilemmas? An increasing number of Americans, and others around the globe, are now turning to energy conservation, efficiency, and technological advances. Acting individually, and collectively as corporations and governments, more and more of us are taking advantage of existing technologies, products and lifestyle changes. And the results are encouraging. Consider the following:
- From 1973 to 1986 energy efficiency and conservation, instituted by individuals, corporations and government, reduced the growth of US energy use by 30%. The economic impact? Annual savings of $225 billion.
Recent studies indicate that widespread adoption of cost-effective energy - efficiency and renewable energy technologies available today could reduce energy use by 50% by the year 2030 as compared to 1988. This would reduce US carbon emissions by a startling 70% while saving over $2 trillion.
However, there are major obstacles in our way. Old style economics says it is too costly to save. Old style politics makes it difficult to innovate. Old style thinking dictates our desires for comfort and convenience can only be achieved at the expense of the environment.
Our mission with this overview of energy conservation, efficiency, economics and technologies is to look to the future, not the past. We have tried to focus on just a few of the factors involved in this debate and illuminate them in a way that will naturally lead us to ask "What We Can Do" to help, how we can generate our own POWER FROM THE PEOPLE.
Once again we have "mined" the extensive mother lode of Web-based data for this issue's major content. It is our hope that our selections will serve as a jumping-off point for your own energetic investigation. Our thanks to the experts and innovators whose work we have utilized. And, out thanks to you, our readers/viewers for your continued support.
Aloha from Maui,
Jeff Stark, Publisher -- OUR ENVIRONMENT -- ONLINE
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