How Decarbonizing Will Affect Affect Everyone of Us
Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast
Episode 121
How Decarbonizing Will Affect Everyone of Us
Certainly by now we are all very familiar with the subject of climate change. We hear about it everyday. We witness extreme weather events on a regular basis. We see the devastation and loss of life and property.
I think we can all agree that climate change is by far the most profound challenge of our time. It affects us as individuals, it affects businesses, and it affects governments around the globe. No one has been spared of the effects of climate change.
But there is away to halt this process and prevent a true global disaster. It all depends on one concept: decarbonization. But what exactly does that mean and how will it affect our daily lives. And that is the focus of E121, how decarbonizing will affect everyone of us.
Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E121 which is called How Decarbonizing Will Affect Everyone of Us.
As I stated above, we hear so much about climate change on a day to day basis. We can no longer escape this reality and we can no longer live in denial. We have to do something or we will eventually face a global disaster. We are past the point of easy and we are going to have to make some difficult choices. There needs to be a fundamental shift in what we do, how we run our daily lives, how the economy functions, what we eat, what we drive, and how we live. The answer hinges on one word: decarbonization.
What I want to accomplish is this episode is to take a close look at what that means and how it will affect what we do on a daily basis. I think by now decarbonizing our economy is something that we all know needs to happen right alone with our shift to renewable energy sources. But it is going to result in a fundamental shift in how we run our lives and most people do not like change.
When most people find out that I live 100% off the grid, they always have numerous questions. I often point out that I do have many of the same modern amenities in my life but I just do things differently. My lifestyle is the result in a fundamental shift in what I do everyday. The same is true for decarbonizing our economy. It will require a fundamental shift in what we do everyday right down to the choices we make.
For example, if you knew from day to day that you only had a limited amount of water, or a limited amount of electricity, how would that change what you did everyday. If you know there was the possibility that you would run out of water or electricity because you only had a specific amount to get you through the next 24 hours, how would that change what you did?
Well, I think the answer is straight forward. You would be mindful of every single thing you did. You would be mindful of how you used your resources from day to day and would make absolutely certain you did not waste anything.
Well, that is what it will be like as we move to decarbonize our economy. Making such a shift will result in sweeping, sustained changes over several decades and it will affect everyone of us. It will change our entire economy and have a significant affect even on the job market.
But before I get down to discussing that, I want to state two things that should be quite obvious by now.
It is common knowledge that human activity results in CO2 emissions, or green house gases, and that is the primary cause of climate change. Approximately 75% of our green house gas emissions is the result of energy production primarily through the burning of fossil fuels.
Also, the first seminal paper on climate change was published 125 years ago and we have essentially done nothing. By now it is common knowledge that climate change has developed into a true emergency because we have lived in denial. Lack of food, water scarcity, and climate migration is very real and will have a devastating global impact if we do not change our ways.
So how do we change our ways? What is it that we need to do and how will it impact everyone of us? As I stated above, this whole transition hinges on one word: decarbonization. This is a fundamental concept that needs to be imbedded in our brains because decarbonizing our economy has a very real potential of halting climate change. So what does that mean exactly?
Decarbonization is simply the process of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere. The end objective is to produce a low-emission global economy. By doing so we can reach climate neutrality and potentially halt climate change.
Humans have been burning fossil fuels primarily for the reasons of economic development. This is evident if you examine any emerging culture. As the culture improves so does the standard of living. As the standard of living improves so does the consumption of resources. Thus we see a corresponding increase in the consumption of fossil fuels. And who would have ever thought that human activity would literally change the climate on this planet but it has.
In order to reach climate neutrality we must disconnect economic growth from the use of fossil fuels. This can be accomplished through decarbonization which is directly related to a transition to carbon free energy production since that accounts for 75% of our carbon production. What this means is electrification of the entire economy based on clean renewable energy sources.
However, such a transition would literally affect every aspect of our lives. I would require reinventing how we power our homes, how we move about, how we transport goods from place to place, how we manufacture goods, and even how we manage our natural resources. It would even affect the economy and the job market. But once again what this means is disconnecting our global energy supply from carbon based fuels.
It would mean a significant investment in low carbon infrastructure. This would mean power plants based on renewable energy which are zero carbon, electric vehicles, energy efficient appliances, and even energy efficient buildings. But it also means improving our energy efficiency and reducing our needs. After all the greenest energy is the energy you never use.
To sort of sum up what needs to be done, decarbonization of our culture can be reduced to a three step process:
-Improved energy efficiency which in turns reduces our energy use.
-Shift our energy demand away from the use of fossil fuels and toward electricity
-Decarbonize our production of electricity which means shifting away from the use of fossil fuels and toward renewable energy technologies to produce electricity.
Reduction of energy use
As far as energy reduction is concerned, we always have to remember that the greenest energy is the energy that you never use. There are numerous ways to improve the energy efficiency of your home. Replacing old windows, upgrading your insulation, insulating wall sockets and light switches, using LED bulbs throughout the house, and replacing old appliances are just a few ways. `
For example, part of the design process for a solar electric system is to go through your residence and estimate the energy consumption of every single thing in the house. This is absolutely necessary if you have installing a stand alone off grid system. But if you are paying a utility company it is a matter and averaging your electricity usage on a month to month basis. When I was going through the design process for the solar at the cabin, I replaced all of the light bulbs with LEDs. Consequently, I reduced our energy consumption for lighting by 80%. I also purchased high efficiency DC appliances. During a 24 hour period the refrigerator and freezer that we have uses less electricity than a 100 watt light bulb.
If you really put your mind to it you can find numerous ways to improve your energy efficiency of your home. To help you along I will have several links to articles in the resources section of the transcript of this episode that will describe multiple ways to improve the energy efficiency of your home.
But if you want an example on a grander scale, I think most of us are familiar the huge iconic building called the Empire State Building. Construction was completed in May, 1931. It is just over 2.7 million square feet. Twenty years ago the Empire State Building was an energy guzzling monster. On a daily basis this building was consuming electricity sufficient enough to power 40,000 homes. By upgrading windows, lighting, insulation and installing a new energy management system, carbon emissions were reduced by 40% over 10 years. Additionally, the entire building has been run completely off of renewable energy since 2011.
Electrification of our economy
As far as electrifying our economy is concerned, this means that every major economic portion of our economy is powered 100% by electricity which is generated from some form of clean energy instead of fossil fuels.
For example, residential and commercial buildings produce about 40% of our nations carbon emissions. This could be eliminated by complete electrification. For example, about 60% of New York State’s carbon emission is from heating and powering buildings. Getting rid of the use of natural gas would eliminate the production of methane, which is a green house gas 25 times more potent than CO2. Heating systems could be replaced with heating pumps.
Transportation of course would have to be electrified as well. This is something that I have discussed in depth before so I will not dwell on that now. But, think of how this would change our lives. What if every vehicle on the road were run off of electricity? Think of how quiet cities, towns, and neighborhoods would be. Think of the enormous reduction in pollution.
That said, how we transport good and services, basic food supplies, how we commute to and from work would all be different. It would literally affect every aspect of our lives. On a personal note, because of where we live and the difficulty of access and lots of snow I often wonder if having an electric vehicle would even be practical. So, even I have questions regarding the practicality of this whole process.
Decarbonizing our production of electricity
As far as decarbonizing our production of electricity I think this is obvious. As I have discussed in previous episode, this would require significant investment in renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric. And this is entirely possible since the United States has sufficient natural resources to generate 6 times more electricity than what is needed to run the entire country.
So, too sum things up again, decarbonizing our economy would be a three step process. The first step is to maximize our efficiency and consequently use less electricity. The second step would be to electricity our entire economy. The third step would be to generate all of our electricity needs through the use of various renewable technologies.
Now all of this sounds wonderful but there will also be some significant change to the job market which will of course affect the economy. This transition to a green economy will result in a huge transition in the labor force. What happens to the coal miner or the oil worker and others that work in carbon intensive jobs? In 2017 the global unemployment was at 200 million people. Can we realistically have that many more people unemployed.
According to the International Labour Organization, the transition to a green economy would result in the loss of 6 million jobs in industries that are heavily dependent on carbon-based production. However this same report reveals that by 2030 this transition would create more than 24 million new jobs. This is a significant shift in the job market and is an example of why we always need to keep the people in mind.
People working in industries such as extraction mining, oil, gas, and other carbon intensive industries may have to be retrained, or shifted into positions more suited to the green transition. It is expected that by the end of 2029 more than 25% of coal fired power plants in the US will be closed. So obviously this is going to have an enormous impact.
Summary
Now there is no doubt that this transition needs to take place if we are to literally avoid a global disaster. But in doing so it will affect every single aspect of our lives and this transition is going to result I sweeping changes over several decades that will affect how we power our homes, how we run our daily lives, how the economy functions, what we eat, what we drive, and how we live. It is going to require a fundamental shift in the way we generate energy, how we produce the goods we consume, how services are delivered, and how we manage our lands.
It is going to require the cooperation of everyone including policy makers, big businesses associated with every sector of our economy, investors, entrepreneurs, and consumers. Private industry and technological innovation will also play an important part. Still many people question whether of not it is possible to make this happen. But all you have to do is look at countries such as Costa Rica, Ethiopia, the UK, Norway, Iceland, and Germany to see what these countries have accomplished.
Most importantly there is going to have to be sweeping public acceptance of this transition. Our future truly depends on it. But regardless of the pressing need to make this transition there is going to be resistance. But remember we are past the point of easy. We have to get rid of this attitude of “not in my backyard.” Instead of continuing to languish in our comfortable and consumptive lifestyle we need to realize if the changes that need to be made are going to be timely and successful it is dependent on the cooperation of everyone.
For just for a good example of the types of things we don’t need Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law put together a report that details opposition to renewable energy projects. This report covers the period between 1995 and 2022. Opposition to renewable energy projects includes local laws that delay or restrict renewable energy, moratoria or bans on renewable energy development, and zoning changes designed to block projects. This report detailed 121 local polices and 204 renewable energy projects that were being contested. In most cases, this attitude of “not in my backyard” successfully delay, scaled down, or resulted in complete cancelation of the project.
Case in point:
Coxsackie, New York
A group of farmers were attempting to sell 1,500 unproductive acres to a solar farm. The town passed a law banning the installation of solar panels except for industrial or commercial areas. That solar farm wound have produced enough electricity to power 21,000 homes. But the town board thought it would be an eyesore.
Case in point:
Flagstaff, Arizona
The city of Flagstaff was working on a plan to reach net zero by 2030 by promoting building electrification. Arizona’s Republican-dominated legislature passed a law that prohibited cities from banning the use of natural gas. Now 21 other states have passed similar laws including Wyoming, Utah, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida as well as others.
Case in point:
American Gas Association
Members of the American Gas Association, especially large utility companies are also pushing back against electrification. One report detailed that nearly 50% of investor-owned large utility companies in the United States are attempting to block climate policies by passing restrictive laws, lobbying against electrification, instigating legal action against renewable energy projects, and funding political campaigns to dissuade the public from the transition to renewables.
Case in point:
Net metering laws
Additionally, several states are passing laws to reduce net metering by as much as 75%. Net metering is what enables solar customers to sell extra energy back to the utility company and get credit on their electric bill. This is one way that customers save money and pay for their investment in renewables. It is a huge encouragement for people to make the switch to solar energy.
Now what you must remember as I mentioned in E116 someone is always trying to make a profit. Even in the face of our ultimate demise, people are finding ways to make millions if not billions of dollars all the while knowing that we have to make a fundamental shift in what we are doing. I must admit that because of the examples I mentioned above, I sit back and truly question if the world as a whole will make the needed shift in time to avoid a global disaster.
That said, you also have to realize that each and everyone of us has the ability to change what we are doing day to day. If more of us make sustainable choices it actually drives the market for more sustainable products and services. If you simply learn more and more about a low impact, waste free, sustainable lifestyle powered by renewable energy and share that with others, you just may encourage someone else to make those changes.
Living off the grid I must admit that my lifestyle does have some limitations. I don’t always get what I want. I don’t always do what I want. There are certain chores I have to do on a daily basis because if I don’t do them it will have a direct, immediate, negative impact on my life. But this is what happens when you manage many of your own resources. But the up side is that because we do manage many of our own resources, we also live very inexpensively, we eat healthy organic local food, we have a tremendous amount of personal freedom because we are debt free. We take the good along with the bad because the up side of how we live far out weighs any of the challenges that comes along with our choices.
As I said before it just requires a fundamental shift in how you think, what you do, the choices you make, what you eat, and how you live day to day. As I sit and watch what is going on in the world it simply makes me focus more intensely on establishing a lifestyle that is based on the things that I value. Simple, waste free, and sustainable. In my opinion that is choice that you should make while you still have a choice. It is a matter of changing your perception. Wayne Dyer once said, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
And that is how you become more sustainable, by changing the way you look at things.
Well that is about it for this week folks. I truly hope you have enjoyed this episode and don’t forget to join me again next week. Also, if you enjoy this podcast then please take the time to leave me with a review and subscribe to the Adventures in Sustainable Living podcast as well as my companion blog Off Grid Living News.
Until next week, this is your host Patrick signing off. Always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future.
Resources
What Makes Electrifying the Economy So Challenging?
Clean Energy Employment Shift by 2030
The Employment Impact of Curtailing Fossil Fuel Use
16 Ways to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient
25 Energy-Efficient Tips to Lower Electricity Costs
Patrick
