There’s an interesting opinion piece by John Tierney in today’s New York Times, on the eve of Earth Day, that suggests that the wealthier we become the greener we become. He suggests that there’s a natural progression to cleaner energy sources as we move to more urban settings, and that forests begin to reclaim farmland as our wealth increases. He also suggests that there will be no green revolution for energy use or energy sources, but suggests that this is a good thing.
While I appreciate the perspective on the natural progression toward cleaner technology, I disagree about the prospects for the green revolution that’s afoot. This piece ignores the impacts and motivation of climate change. As the cost of renewable energy sources are driven down, more and more people will turn to solar, wind and geothermal sources to drive down their own costs and impacts. The personal energy revolution will necessitate a change at the utility scale for more of a demand-based system, with a better handle on inputs into the grid. And, government mandates on carbon output will necessitate a retooling of our dirtier power sources.
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I also read John Tierney’s opinion piece, I am still trying to wrap my head around it. I do kinda get where he is going with this but I still didn’t feel completely satisfied. Here’s a story on simple living http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/Americas/2009/March/Americans-Seek-to-Live-Simply-Amid-Recession.html