Now, with the latest technology, a country like Canada, specifically Ontario for instance, could easily implement 20,000 MW of wind power in the next five years. Combined with the existing hydro power this would make Ontario 100% powered by renewable energy.Dr. Hermann Scheer
There is no sensible alternative to nuclear power if we are to sustain civilization.... [Solar and wind energy programs] will fail and bring discredit both to the greens and to the politicians foolish enough to adopt renewables as a major source of energy before they have been properly developed.
James Lovelock
Scheer is the German parliamentarian who has been called the Al Gore of Europe for his support for a law that helped to add renewables quickly to German grid. A number of recent stories in Canadian media describe his prescription:
- Guaranteed access to the grid
- Guaranteed long term price
- No limit
Lovelock originated the Gaia Theory and he's known to many as the father of modern environmentalism. His latest book is called Revenge of Gaia, and in it he says the Earth is headed for a dramatic period of warming and there's not much we can do about it, especially if we continue to "gamble away earth’s future by campaigning for renewable energy sources."
Lovelock and Scheer have a lot in common: They both see the need to get off fossil fuels; they both see looming climate change if something drastic doesn't happen. Lovelock says we have to build nuclear power fast; Scheer says wind, solar and biomass are the better solutions.
Such disparate opinions lead me to think Ontarians, and everyone else on the planet, had better start getting a whole lot more knowledgeable about the underlying facts of these issues.
Because the plans afoot today -- all the things we do or don't do as a society -- are going to have profound effects on our landscapes, our economy, our environment and everything else. Neither environmentalism or energy policy should be monopolized by members of a "preisthood" who claim to have all the answers.
In upcoming posts I want to walk through the differing visions of these, and other prominent scientists, politicians and thinkers, and figure out what gives.
As I said in the first post, what keeps me real is a lifelong connection to a place that formed me more than any other.
The specific geography probably wouldn't have mattered -- I just happen to have imprinted on a big freshwater lake, where one coast is scattered with an improbably large number of bald, rocky islands, and a smattering of wind-battered pine trees cling to life.
Whatever sacrifices may be required of us as a society, our connections to unspoiled places and our appreciation for the sublime in nature must not be broken.
Such disparate opinions lead me to think Ontarians, and everyone else on the planet, had better start getting a whole lot more knowledgeable about the underlying facts of these issues.
Because the plans afoot today -- all the things we do or don't do as a society -- are going to have profound effects on our landscapes, our economy, our environment and everything else. Neither environmentalism or energy policy should be monopolized by members of a "preisthood" who claim to have all the answers.
In upcoming posts I want to walk through the differing visions of these, and other prominent scientists, politicians and thinkers, and figure out what gives.
As I said in the first post, what keeps me real is a lifelong connection to a place that formed me more than any other.
The specific geography probably wouldn't have mattered -- I just happen to have imprinted on a big freshwater lake, where one coast is scattered with an improbably large number of bald, rocky islands, and a smattering of wind-battered pine trees cling to life.
Whatever sacrifices may be required of us as a society, our connections to unspoiled places and our appreciation for the sublime in nature must not be broken.
0 comments:
Post a Comment