BrattleboroCitizensBreakfast

July25,2014
GibsonAikenCenter

ClimateChange:ShouldwebeFearful?Or
Hopeful?
GeorgeHarvey,GeneralFactotumforthe
GreenEnergyTimesbloggingat
geoharveyoneofGeorgeHarveysBlogs

GeorgeHarveywasintroducedandaskedtoreacttoanewsarticlerecentlyquotedinhisblog
thatNostatehasdonemorethanCaliforniatofightglobalwarming.Butadeepeningdrought
couldmakethatbattlemoredifficultandmoreexpensive.Hestatedthathispessimismaround
climatechangeisbasedonitseffectsonnature.Speciesaregoingoutofexistenceattherate
of200peryearandwiththeincreaseinglobalwarmingthatincreaseinextinctionrateismoving
fromonespeciesevery40hourstooneeverytenminutestooneevery50seconds.

Exceptforonespecieshumanbeings,which,ifwegetouracttogetherinthebattleagainst
globalwarming,mightbeabletoachievesomething.

Georgetypicallyrisesat3:30amandspendshoursporingoverenergyheadlinesbefore
compilinghisdailynewsdigestonenergyandclimatechange:http://geoharvey.wordpress.com/
Theblogfeatured16itemsonJuly25,culledfromperhaps300headlines.Inthecourseofthe
lasttwoyears,Georgeestimateshavingreviewed150,000headlines.Hecanspeaktotrends
thatemergefromthatreview.

InaMay26blogentry,GeorgenotedthatBarclaysdowngradedUSutilitiesasagroup,asthe
sectorhadfailedtoaccountfortheloweredcostinenergyresultingfromdistributedsolar
generationandenergystoragesolutions.

InVermont,GreenMountainPower(GMP)recognizestherealitythatsolarischeapestwiththe
useofnetmetering.

GeorgementionedNHcontractorBobIrvingasanexampleofabuilderofthepassivehouse,
eithernewlybuiltorretrofitted,whichusesthebodyheatoftheoccupants,cookingheat,etc.to
heatthehouse,cuttingpoweruseby90withoutadditionalcost.

SoverenSolar'sPeterThurrellisanotherexampleofalocalcontractor.Hisfirmconcentrates
onsolarinstallations.

Financingcanbeobtainedfrom
VSECUhttps://www.vsecu.com/energysavings
AdmiralsBank,RIhttps://www.admiralsbank.com/renewableenergylending
GMPcanalsohelpwithsolar
http://www.greenmountainpower.com/innovative/solar/aboutsolarpower/

Georgebaseshisoptimismontheideathatwiththeexponentialdeclineinthecostofenergy,
therewillcomeatippingpoint.It'samatterofthetechnologychanging.Hegaveasanexample
titaniumdioxide[TiO2],acommonchemicalfoundinthepowderedsugarcoatingondonuts.It
is97%asreflectiveofthesunassnow.WhenUVlighthitsTiO2,ithastheabilityofcutting
pollution.

Theuseofothertechnologiescouldrevolutionizetheideaofcarboncaptureandsequestration
byreusingthecarbon.TheSabatierprocesscouldcapturecarbonandputitbackintoaplantto
useasfueltoproduceenergy.

Solarpanelsareseeinganupsurgeinusetochargebatteriesandtopowerhouses.Onecan
nowbuyintoasolarfarmsharingthecostorbuyingapanellocatedatadistancefromone's
residence.LocalentrepreneurJasonCooperpowersafacilityinBrattleborowith150kvoltsfrom
asolarfarminPutney.

AnothersourceofGeorge'soptimismisthatthecostoflivingaswedowillforceustochange.

Asanexample,theCeres'InvestorNetworkbeganinresponsetotheExxonValdezoilspill.
Initially,investmentinrenewableswasseenasrisky.By2003,itbecameclearthatthefailureto
actwasaclimaterisk.NowCeresishostingpolicymakersattheUNtotakeactiononglobal
climatechange.Ceres,backedbyalmost$12trillionininvestments,isasking48fossilfuel
companieshowtheirstockisgoingtoholduptoclimatechange.Thebottomlineisthatitis
cheapertodothingssustainably.

GMisconcernedthattheautomobileindustryisunsustainableinitspresentformandisputting
itsemphasisonelectricvehicles.

OthercompaniesrecognizingthisrealityincludeMorganStanley,NikeandUnilever.Thesignsof
climateriskareallaroundus:hurricanesinBrazilandthePhilippines,"astormofthecentury"hit
mainlandChinaforthesecondtimeinsevenyears.

The"endofcapitalismasweknowit"isalsoapproachingtobereplacedwith,accordingto
JeremyRifkin,the"collaborativecommons."Anexampleofthisshiftisthefreeonline
encyclopedia,Wikipediawhichencompasses32GBofinformation.Whatusedtocost$24
millionforcomputerstorageisnowgivenawayforfree.

TheexampleofsolarpoweredcellphonesinIndiaisalsoacauseforoptimism.Despitepower
outagesandmonsoons,thelightsstayedonandtherewaselectricityforchargingcellphones
andcomputersinruralAssam,Indiathankstosolarpower.Adistributedpowerecosystemis
closesttoademocraticlevel.

Ofcoursethereareoilcompaniesandotherforcesopposingsustainability,althoughthereare
indicationsthatevenShellOilmaybebackingoffoffracking.Politicalforces,suchasthose
backedbycoalmineinterestsinAustralia,wereabletocancelthecarbontaxinthatcountry.
However,thedecisionmaybackfire,witnessthereactionofAustraliancoalstwobiggest
potentialimporters:Chinasaiditwillonlyusedomesticcoaland,Indiahasinsufficientport
facilitiestoimportcoal.Will100%ofeconomistssoondeclareAustraliasdecisionfoolish?