Energy use reduction is the only practical solution for addressing climate issues right now. There is currently a national and international push to address the growing climate problem, primarily focused on the reduction of Co2 emissions. Many people believe that the way to achieve this reduction in emissions is to move to greener, more renewable power generation methods. While renewable energy production is certainly the long term solution to the growing problem of global emissions there are still significant challenges facing this solution, particularly in the short run.
Climate change experts say there is a potential that Co2 levels in the atmosphere could reach a tipping point at which time it will be too late to take action to reduce emissions because the atmospheric build up of Co2 will have degraded the earth’s environment to such an extent that it will no longer be able to recover. To prevent this potentiality from becoming a reality we cannot afford to wait for greener renewable energy sources to be developed. The lead time on new green energy generation projects is very long, Furthermore, to significantly impact the amount of emissions from power generation, we are going to have to come up with new technologies. Our current renewable energy technologies cannot meet the demand for power in the United States or even make a significant contribution to be noticeable in the long run.
This is why it is imperative that we take steps to increase energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption. By reducing our energy consumption we will instantly reduce Co2 emissions from power generation due to decreased demand for power. Decreasing our overall demand for power through energy efficiency will also make it easier to transition to renewable production methods in the future. The need for an immediate reduction in energy demand is the driving idea behind a carbon tax system, where energy use is taxed based on the amount of Co2 produced in the creation of the energy used. Proponents of a carbon tax argue that a tax on Co2 emissions for consumers and businesses is the only way to quickly and significantly reduce our demand for energy. A carbon tax will make it important for everyone to increase their energy efficiency and reduce their demand for power by providing a significant economic incentive to do so and economic penalty for those who do not. Proponents say that carbon tax is a solution to the problem of global climate change and Co2 emissions that will work in the short run by decreasing over all consumption of power and in the long run by providing incentives for technological advancement in power generation leading to cleaner, cheaper power.
Opponents of a carbon tax argue that the market will take care of the emissions problem on its own due to increasing demand for energy and a fixed supply of fuel for coal and natural gas power plants. However, with our current reserves, it will be many years before the price of coal or natural gas produced energy exceeds that of developing efficient renewable technologies. By the time the market reaches the point where green energy is cheaper than traditional energy production it will probably be too late to significantly impact the effect we have on global climate change. The idea behind a carbon tax is to artificially trigger this shift in the marketplace by increasing the price of dirty energy instead of waiting for it to happen naturally due to limited supply of resources.
About the author: Barret Hudson is a representative of Green Collar Operations, an Austin company that does home weatherization to increase energy efficiency and help reduce utility bills. Visit www.GreenCollarOperations.com for more information.
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