New Thinking is Needed for New Challenges
Hello Papamoka Readers! I want to mention an incredibly worrisome article in the Seattle Times. It's about how ordinary electronics we all take for granted, like MP3 players, mobile phones and flat screen TVs, are threatening to significantly increase energy consumption in the world over the next few decades. If new green sources of energy aren't perfected soon, it could mean a ticking time bomb for the world environment.The Paris-based UN affiliated International Energy Agency estimates that new electronic gadgets will triple their energy consumption by 2030 to 1,700 terawatt hours, which - incredibly - is the equivalent of today's home electricity consumption of the United States and Japan combined. That is a phenomenal increase in the amount of energy required to maintain our modern civilization.
"The world would have to build around 200 new nuclear power plants just to power all the TVs, iPods, PCs and other home electronics expected to be plugged in by 2030, when the global electric bill to power them will rise to $200 billion a year," the IEA said.
The IEA says the world will have to do more to regulate the energy consumption of electronic devices, or create new forms of green energy. There is no alternative if we intend to avoid dramatic global climate change.
If nothing changes, cascading man-made C02 levels could lead us to become a less habitable world. Scientists are very worried about our future, so we should be too.
Unfortunately, that task is difficult do the fact that electronics make up such a vast amount of the world economy. Governments and private enterprise will be resistant and slow to act. That fact alone puts our future at risk.
This is another good example of why modern governments must be progressive and proactive when it comes to issues that threaten the globe, like the need to find green energy sources. This is another reason why we need progressive politics, and leave the regressive, unscientific politics of the past behind us.
We need new thinking on every issue, whether it's health care, war, disease or climate change. It's critical that mankind harness green energy. Republicans need to understand that we have no alternative. There is no going back to the old ways. Mankind's future depends on our ability to evolve, change and adapt to these new challenges.
Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog
Labels: Climate Change, Electronic Power Demands, Energy Abuse, Green Energy, Michael Boh, Progressive Politics, Republican Denial, Seattle Times
posted by Michael Boh at
12:39 PM
5 Comments:
"Unfortunately, that task is difficult do the fact that electronics make up such a vast amount of the world economy."
Since I teach English as a side job I have to note, it is "due to the fact" "not do the fact"
But besides that....it is believable yet also unbelievable that by 2030 there will be that many people with ipods and the like. That prediction is a bit far fetched, and to say that every man, woman, and child in every country of the world will have the ablity to have this technology.
Great post. I think it's clear we are having some impact, and if we all don't realize it soon, it'll be too late.
Papamoka,
All of this begs the question: What is the industry going to do about it? Surely they can make resistors and capacitors that can resist electric consumption.
Is there a white paper out there for the consumers/govt to operate from?
Is the electronic/print media ready to help educate us?
Excellent post: I learned something.
But besides that....it is believable yet also unbelievable that by 2030 there will be that many people with ipods and the like. That prediction is a bit far fetched, and to say that every man, woman, and child in every country of the world will have the ablity to have this technology.
Probably not every person in every country, but by 2030, it's more than likely to be most people in Asia and Latin America. That's billions of people -- several times the population of the now-developed countries.
Really, this is something to celebrate -- it would be far worse to think that the great majority of the human race would be trapped in poverty forever. But, yes, the inevitable tremendous explosion in power generation needs to be managed. With the kind of technology we'll have by then, we should be able to do it while safeguarding the environment -- but that will mean putting away the hair shirts and pet theories and adopting a practical approach.
Thanks Dan, but as a part-time English teacher you must have heard about things called typos. Cut me some slack dude. I think I do a pretty good job overall.
More important, I don't understand how you (and politicos of your ilk) can so easily dismiss the mountains of evidence that are building - the evidence showing the dangerous trends of modern human society and its impact on our world. It blows my mind how dismissive you people can be.
What ever happened to prepare for the worst and hope for the best? Republicans - or conservatives - are so ostrich-like these days. They all seem to be competing to see who can stick their head in the sand deeper. It's crazy in my opinion. It also makes me terrified for our children, and a sustainable future.
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