PERSPECTIVES ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Learn about climate change by reading the below perpectives from local environmental leaders in climate protection.

_____________________________________________________________________

IT’S TIME TO GET ENERGIZED ABOUT RENEWABLE ENERGY.
By Irene Stillings, Executive Director, San Diego Regional Energy Office

This summer, San Diegans suffered some of the hottest days on record. California businesses were warned of the possibility of rolling blackouts, global warming became a hot topic among mainstream Americans and fuel prices reached unprecedented levels.

As we emptied our wallets to power our vehicles and keep our homes and offices cool, we were informed of yet another milestone: record profits for oil and gas companies and the executives who run them.

You’ve heard it before. We’re addicted to oil. And we’re addicted to the cars we power with fossil fuels. We in the State of California are the 9th largest emitter of greenhouse gasses in the world. Don’t let falling gas prices lull you into a false sense of complacency. Prices will go up. It’s time to change our wasteful practices and get serious about alternatives to carbon–based fuels, particularly energy efficiency and renewable energy.

There are many renewable energy sources, including solar and wind technologies, landfill gasses, ocean wave and tidal power, biomass, biodiesel fuels, advanced ethanol, hydroelectric power and geothermal energies - all of which offer viable alternatives to the carbon-emitting fossil fuels we consume to meet our energy needs.

Employing renewable energy sources and adopting more efficient energy habits will help us eliminate dependence on the oil and gas that support our current energy consumption. Renewables diversify our supply options, create quality jobs, reduce carbon emissions, help preserve the integrity of California’s vast environmental resources, wean us from dependence on foreign oil, make us less vulnerable in event of an attack, contribute to more predictable energy bills, and reduce overall energy costs in our homes and offices.

So why are so few of us embracing these viable alternatives? It’s a matter of Practice, Perception and Priority. Once these concepts are clarified in the context of renewables, we can realize the payoff: Prosperity for California businesses, citizens and the public agencies who serve them.

Americans are creatures of habit; we like following familiar practices. Americans today consume twice the energy per capita as Europeans and Asians, and our energy consumption is increasing. Readily-available energy using fossil fuels contributes to our high standard of living, yet few see the source of that energy as finite. But it is.

The beauty of renewables is that they’re a virtually infinite supply of power. As long as the sun shines, the winds blow, our rivers flow and our crops grow, we’re in business!

This addresses the supply side of our solution. Let’s look at demand. Reducing energy consumption doesn’t require us to shut off the lights and A/C and sweat in the dark. Instead, ask the San Diego Energy Office about the many ways you can reduce consumption without eroding your quality of life…practices like keeping your thermostats at specific temperatures, shutting off lights and A/C when you’re not home, installing solar panels, energy efficient doors, windows and appliances in the home or buying hybrid vehicles.

California is home to one in every eight Americans. If we change our behavior, we will make a difference.

Another barrier to widespread use of renewable energy is perception. Earlier this fall, Robert Michaels penned a commentary on global warming and the potential of renewables. Michaels acknowledges that renewables might reduce some of the global warming caused by fossil fuel burning plants, and then challenges the notion of whether global warming really is such a bad thing. Well, it is.

Think about it. The more carbon-emitting fossil fuels we continue to burn, the more pollutants we generate. There is clear and convincing scientific evidence that fossil fuel emissions are damaging the ozone, heating things up, polluting our air, threatening our water supply and eroding our overall quality of life. We created the problem, and we have to help solve it.

Naysayers contend that alternatives to fossil fuels – renewable energy technologies – are expensive. Yes, the up-front costs to install most renewable energy sources are higher today than we’d like, but when we compare the life-cycle cost of clean distributed renewable generation against the current model of electric generation – and consider the social and economic costs of climate change caused by fossil fuels– the costs will likely be equal. As with any emerging industry, demand spurs innovation and creativity, which leads to better, more efficient solutions and economies of scale. We simply cannot afford to wait until we have the perfect answer to do something. Prices will come down.

Which brings us to the third reason we haven’t until recently seen widespread interest in conversion to renewable energy sources: the matter of priority.

Federal subsidies for fossil fuels and nuclear technologies far surpass those for renewable energy. The federal energy bill signed into law last year provides for $6 billion in subsidies for big oil and gas…the same companies who, in the first six months of 2006, posted $59.4 billion in profits. Support for renewable energy pales in comparison.

Californians are helping turn that proverbial tide. We have established Renewable Portfolio Standards to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels by requiring utilities to incorporate renewables into 20% of our energy supply by the year 2010. The Governor recently signed the bellwether Global Warming Solutions Act, which calls for a 25% reduction in the carbon emissions threatening our environment by the year 2020. And the CA Public Utilities Commission is implementing a $2.9 billion, 10-year solar initiative designed to install 3000 MW of solar power – enough to power more than two million homes.

These initiatives address the critical elements of our dependence on fossil fuels while serving as catalyst for a renewed prosperity for Californians. Venture capitalist John Doerr recently concluded that ”The economic benefits (of renewables) are large and calculable. In California, the Climate Action Team (CAT) determined that global warming reduction would increase income by more than $4 billion while providing 83,000 new jobs…we can harmonize economic growth and environmental benefits.”

With the help of CAT, IBM initiated programs that reduced greenhouse gasses by 65% for a net savings of $791 million. DuPont reduced emissions by 70% and is realizing net savings of $2 billion.

Closer to home, we have the non-profit San Diego Regional Energy Office, which is working with local businesses and public agencies to achieve equally-encouraging results. Last year, we assisted over 92 regional businesses and public agencies in acquiring tens of millions of dollars in available funds to create cogent, effective, money-saving alternative energy programs. SDG&E is augmenting this with their Sustainable Communities Program, offering incentives to developers to incorporate energy-efficient technologies and design into schools, businesses and homes.

Financial planners will tell you that to secure your future, it is prudent to hold a diversified financial portfolio. The same holds true for energy, particularly given the risks associated with continuing to rely on fossil fuels, which power the majority of California’s energy sources. Renewables may not be the silver bullet, but diversification is. Initiating prudent consumption practices while adopting renewable energy sources as a legitimate part of a diversified approach to energy sourcing will pay off.

There’s a quote we use at the San Diego Regional Energy Office that reinforces why we’re committed to the cause of renewable energy. It’s from scientist/philosopher Charles Kettering: “Take good care of your future, because that is where you’re going to spend the rest of your life.”

That is a prudent philosophy that, in the context of renewable energy, will bring California businesses and citizens a conscionable, economically viable return on investment. And a quality of life that’s worth perpetuating.

Irene Stillings is Executive Director of the non-profit San Diego Regional Energy Office, an independent, public benefit corporation helping businesses, consumers, schools and local governments identify and implement programs to deploy renewable energy programs and reduce energy consumption.

_____________________________________________________________________

To make a contribution to the Climate Smart Fund or for more information on how you can get involved to support Climate Smart, contact Dr. Emily Young at The San Diego Foundation, (619) 235-2300 or environment@sdfoundation.org.