The Intersection of Climate and Economic Planning (Sonoma Gazette 3/23)
How would you live differently if all of a sudden gasoline were $20 per gallon? Answering this hypothetical question should get you closer to understanding how things might be in the not-so-distant future if we are to seriously address climate change. We are living in a ‘climate emergency’. Many governments have echoed this phrase, hopefully bracing us for some fundamental lifestyle changes. It seems that for the most part, we are focused on maintaining our quality of life while attempting to meet the corresponding energy requirements through ‘green energy’ alternatives, such as electric cars and hydro-electric power. These two examples are presented here to demonstrate the trouble with this way of thinking. The production of large batteries—for electric cars, and for regulating solar power supply—is currently far from sustainable. Hydro, we have learned during recent years, can’t produce power during a drought. In addition to our efforts to cultivate green energy, we need to learn ho