Could using MORE power save the world? Becoming a high-energy society would make us LESS dependent on nature’s resources, claim experts
- Researchers at think tank in California discussed higher energy usage
- They said if we 'decouple' from the environment it will be a good thing
- The advancement of clean and low-carbon technology means we don't to be so energy-conscious, say the researchers
- And applying those same lessons to developing countries could help ensure there is no climate disaster
- 'The time has come to embrace a high-energy planet,' the scientists write
It’s more often than not thought that consuming more energy will ultimately have an increasingly negative effect on the environment.
But is that necessarily the case? Experts have argued that increased energy consumption might actually be good, because we’ll be less dependent on nature.
They argue that human innovation and ingenuity will eventually pull through and save us from a future climate-related disaster.
A paper called 'Our high-energy planet' says that decoupling our planet from the environment means we can consume more and more energy without damaging the environment. As we move to more cleaner forms of energy such as solar (shown), we are beginning to decouple ourselves from environmental impact
The comments were made in a paper called ‘Our high-energy planet’, which was discussed at the think tank Breakthough Institute Dialogue 2014 in California in late June.
DID A CARBON DIOXIDE 'BURP' END THE LAST ICE AGE?
A team of scientists has discovered that a giant 'burp' of carbon dioxide from the North Pacific Ocean helped trigger the end of last ice age, around 17,000 years ago.
The recent study, led by Dr James Rae of the University of St Andrews in Scotland, found that changes in ocean circulation in the North Pacific caused a massive outpouring of CO2.
This was released from the deep ocean into the atmosphere, helping to warm the planet sufficiently to trigger the end of the ice age.
Previously, scientists have suggested that the Antarctic Ocean and North Atlantic were the only places likely to release CO2 as a result of glaciers retreating, due to their deep water formation.
However, a change in rainfall over the North Pacific region caused by the East Asian monsoon and the westerly storm track made the ocean surface saltier and less buoyant, allowing it to form deep water, say the scientists.
This resulted in CO2 stored in the deep Pacific being released into the atmosphere, where it helped warm the planet and melt back the ice sheets that covered much of the Northern Hemisphere.
The paper says that a massive expansion of energy systems in the Southern Hemisphere is turning our world into a high-energy planet.
But, the authors say, this is not necessarily a bad thing.
As we move to more cleaner forms of energy such as solar, wind and hydro, we are beginning to decouple ourselves from environmental impact.
‘The way we produce and use energy will become increasingly clean not by limiting its consumption, but by using expanded access to energy to unleash human ingenuity in support of innovating toward an equitable, low-carbon global energy system,’ say the researchers.
Thus, as our sources of energy become cleaner and greener, there is not necessarily any reason to reduce the amount of energy we consume, once it is coming from the right source.
In Germany, for example, 5.3 per cent of the country’s energy in 2013 was provided by solar power.
By 2020 they estimate 35 per cent of their energy will be from renewable sources, rising to 100 per cent by 2050.
The one major issue could be the boom in energy consumption from countries in developing nations but, the experts say, providing them with the right knowledge could prevent any further ecological disaster.
This graph shows the rate at which the populations of various countries have increased in their access to electricity. It shows how the entire populations of places like the U.S. and UK have had access to electricity for some time, but other developing countries are only now going through an electricity boom
Innovation is the key to reducing emissions while expanding energy access, the experts claim. For instance, in order to reduce energy poverty within their borders, China and India are pioneering the use of advanced nuclear generation (pictured) and carbon capture and storage (CCS)
More than one billion people globally lack access to electricity, and
billions more burn wood and dung for their basic energy needs.
The report outlines a radically new framework for meeting the energy needs of the global poor.
According to the authors, the massive expansion of
energy systems, mainly carried out in the rapidly urbanising global
South, is the only robust, coherent, and ethical response to the global
challenges we face, climate change among them.
'The time has come to
embrace a high-energy planet,' they write.
Innovation is the key to reducing emissions while expanding energy
access, they claim.
For instance, in order to reduce energy poverty within their borders, China and India are pioneering the use of advanced nuclear generation and carbon capture and storage (CCS).
‘It will take tremendous effort, capital, and political will to ensure that the ongoing expansion
of the energy sector in developing nations provides all people with access to energy they can afford as soon as possible, and to support efforts that will make that energy progressively cleaner,' the researchers write.
‘Rather than limiting energy access and consumption on the basis of their potential climate change impacts, a coherent strategy for human development begins with the assumption that energy equity is necessary for a just, prosperous, and environmentally sustainable society.'
And, they conclude, the negative climate effects of moving towards a high-energy planet can be negated, as long as humanity decouples its power consumption from the environment.
COULD YOU SAVE MONEY BY SWITCHING?
Energy tariff prices are in a constant merry-go-round with suppliers battling to pinch customers - you - from each other.
consumers can take advantage of this by doing exactly that - moving
deals every six months to a year to ensure they are on THE cheapest
deal. Even moving every other year will save you significant amounts.
Suppliers offer their cheapest rates via online tariffs so if you're ready to switch, it will certainly pay to do so.
you are one of the millions of people who have NEVER switched (i.e.
stuck with your original supplier), then you will DEFINITELY save a big
chunk of cash, possibly as much as £300 a year.
are different all over the country and the cheapest supplier for you
will depend where you live. You only need to be interested in the tariff
that is going to be cheapest where you live, so do your own comparison
to find the best price.
- For full details of how to switch your provider and where to find the best deals check out This is Money's guide
By Amy Andrew