Regarding the Editorial “Response to climate change can’t wait,” there’s something of a “Hurry up and wait” angle to this. We’ve made a lot of progress that doesn’t make the front page, but the problem the environmental movement has is that it lacks priorities when it comes to focusing on the most egregious emitters of air pollution and often chooses symbolism over substance.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered that a single cruise ship emits as much greenhouse house gas as a city the size of Barcelona.
Carnival’s 63 cruise ships emit more sulfur dioxide than all the EU’s 291 million cars, and that is after a reduction was mandated just three years ago. And while the California Air Resources Board, in its best California way, is going after the most minuscule emitters, it did nothing about the hundreds of cargo ships that visit its ports every day.
CARB burnishes California’s reputation as the most preposterously regulated place on earth, making impossible demands for gains that don’t move the needle on air quality. All of this from the same state that sanctioned limitless sprawl, daily five hour commutes, and ten lane freeways.
True to form, no one is more sanctimonious than they are when it comes to air quality. And because their market is so big, their mandates are now everyone’s mandates.
For decades, the maritime sector remained untouched by regulation. But at long last, ships are being converted to alternate fuels, substituting hydrogen, methane, and electric power, and have even deployed sail power, to harness the wind and lessen use of engine power.
Converting these massive polluters will take years, but it’s a start. Why no one focused on these massive GHG emitters and went after gas stoves, an almost comical tilt at windmills, pardon the expression, is beyond me, but it proves the point.
Technology is making huge strides. Steel that can be forged without the use of coal has become a reality. Alternative fuels, which offer a zero carbon alternative to gasoline, can keep internal combustion engines on the road for decades.
EVs are not a panacea. The pollution caused from mineral extraction and the mere production of these vehicles means it will take over 120,000 miles of road use for an EV to begin to lessen the impact of an ICE car.
Again, symbolism over substance. The least polluting car on the road is the one you already own, since no additional energy is expended producing a replacement.
It is interesting to note that the editorial places the onus strictly on government action. There are plenty of people who don’t need a 5000 pound three row SUV around here, but no one is asking them to make a lifestyle change for the sake of the environment. That’s pretty telling. It’s also very Nassau.
There have been substantial environmental victories around the world. Many European countries no longer rely on coal, which this country would do well to emulate.
Wind power can sometimes generate as much as 40% of Texas’ electricity. Iowa is another wind success story. Solar continues to take market share of energy produced, especially in the Southwest, and it’s cheaper than ever.
Billions of dollars in ESG funding (Environment, Social and Governance) has been issued and will continue to mushroom. The energy transition is a lot like food substitution in a diet. You keep replacing the fat with the lean.
But to ask to speed things up?
As a practical matter, given planning, permitting, land use, staffing up and all kinds of other factors, there is not much we can do to hasten the pace of the transition.
There is a great deal of activity already going on, and the alternative energy space keeps growing and the technology is always improving.
But there are limits to how much faster we can go with what we already have in the pipeline, and you can’t go around like a cat chasing a laser pointer. Every market has limits as to what it can absorb at a given moment.
We are making progress, and I have no doubt that will improve exponentially as more projects are put online. But make no mistake. This will take time. But setting priorities first is the only way to reduce warming at a faster pace.
Donald Davret
Roslyn