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Unlike the truths of national independence, those of energy
independence are not self-evident. That's why The Energy Independent
was created. Energy independence is not energy nationalism or energy
autarchy, defined as self-sufficiency. It is also different from energy
security, that is, protecting access to resources and transportation
routes through political, economic and military means, so that we have
enough for ourselves, but with little concern for the rest of the
world.
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On the contrary, energy independence means eventually freeing
humanity from the fossil fuel energy sources that are destabilizing the
Earth's atmosphere and the conditions of life and society that depend
on natural systems. It means liberation from the policies, economic
ideas, habits and modes of thinking created during the ages of coal and
oil. The desired end-state is perfectly clear: independence from fossil
fuels and the old consciousness they fostered.
Toward that end, TEI
will fight in the front ranks of this movement for energy
transformation, using every political and communications tool
available. We will be a voice for change—or at times, for no change—and
a source of news, know-how, information, commentary, analysis,
criticism, civic action and celebration, as the worldwide network for
energy independence succeeds, because it must.
Here are 10 principles to guide us toward energy independence:
1. Change public opinion
Changing public opinion is the fulcrum to changing political, economic and social direction. Al Gore has said it well: We have what we need to solve the global warming crisis, save political will. But in a democracy, political will is a renewable resource. The transformation from a fossil-fuel economy won't happen by itself. It will take the people of all nations striving in their own ways to protect the planet's environment and demand their governments carry out policies that will lead to energy independence. As Jack Newfield said, only a participatory democracy can beat an entrenched plutocracy. Participation begins with changing people's ideas.
2. Markets aren't enough
More than two centuries of economic expansion and industrial pollution took place without accounting for the environmental costs. Market responses to a vast variety of demands cannot achieve the needed reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to stabilize the Earth's atmosphere and forestall runaway climate change. Markets have but one response to scarcity—price rises. Such short-term market swings are often counterproductive to long-term innovations. Markets, unlike human beings, do not learn from their mistakes. Even Adam Smith recognized that economic and trade policies influence, shape and make markets. The growth of carbon markets under cap-and-trade schemes will only come about as a result of constant political pressure. Building a critical mass of demand for alternative energies, too, will require political pressure to end the perverse subsidies for oil, coal, gas and nuclear built into our economic fabric. So long as markets consider Nature as a free good, they will never achieve the public good of a stable climate and livable environment. Nothing is more important than to restore political control of the economy and fight the delusion that markets alone can solve the climate change crisis.
3. Nothing gets done without goals, deadlines and tasking
Up till now, humanity's affects on the global climate are the result of what Rene Dubos and Barbara Ward called an unintended world order, driven by science, economic growth and nationalism. Rebalancing our relationship with Nature to prevent runaway global warming will require, above all, an intentional world order. In order to succeed in any great endeavor, humans need goals, deadlines, a framework of rules and agents tasked with meeting such standards. International treaties and national policies setting out a clear roadmap to the energy future are necessary if we are to work together to curb damage to the climate in a way that is universal and just. As Duke Ellington said, "Without a deadline I don't get nothing done, baby."
4. Harness Win-Win Opportunities
Some measures to ward off runaway climate change involve costs and trade-offs. Others can be achieved by policies with substantial secondary benefits, such as conserving Nature, reducing poverty and providing savings through energy efficiency. Capturing methane at landfills, waste management facilities and mining operations for sale down the line both reduces greenhouse gas emissions and creates a valuable fuel product as a substitute for oil or gas. Investment in mass transit is an effective way to reduce emissions from cars while spurring city economies and helping the poor reach jobs. Wherever possible, we should reduce greenhouse gas emissions while at the same time restoring natural systems, improving public health, creating business and work opportunities and reducing taxes.
5. No More Wars for Oil
The demands of an economy growing without limits have meant an ever-increasing need to control oil resources and their transport worldwide. Indeed, since the end of the Cold War, the American military—the mightiest fighting force in history—does little more then guard our oil addiction. As the costs of maintaining this military empire grow along with our dependence on foreign oil, we resort to unjust wars of aggression and constant meddling in other nations' sovereign affairs. Yet a pittance of the trillions spent on militarism would suffice, over time, to erase our dependence on foreign oil. The best support for American troops is to bring them home. We cannot achieve energy independence and curb climate change till we finally confront our imperial demon and stop spilling blood for oil.
6. Where There's Waste, There's Money
Only about 7 percent of the total energy we produce makes its way into final usage as electric power, transportation, manufacturing and the heating of buildings. Amory Lovins calculated that energy waste costs the global economy more than $1 trillion a year, destabilizing the climate while producing no value. Yet despite this potential economic bonanza, we remain fixated upon increasing energy supplies. We have abandoned the common sense wisdom of Benjamin Franklin: A penny saved is a penny earned. Today's wasteful and environmentally harmful energy system must be replaced with vast attention to energy efficiency and demand management. Efficiency brings technology and smart management to bear on wringing more work from each unit of energy produced, distributed and consumed. It is not about conservation in the sense of making do with less, but about educating consumers, managers and policymakers to understand that efficiency is always the cheapest supply.
7. Deploy what's ready, develop what's not
Scaling up currently commercial alternative energy technologies like wind and solar power won't be sufficient to achieve independence from foreign oil and stabilize greenhouse gas emissions. But it can't hurt. Rapid deployment of market-ready technologies to displace oil and especially coal-to-electricity is a pragmatic way to hold down carbon emissions without choking off economic growth. At the same time, we need a major public-private research and development push—akin to the Manhattan and Apollo projects—to reverse the appalling deficit of energy R&D, and spur innovations in concentrated solar power, fuel cells, carbon sequestration, wave/tidal power, superefficient appliances and a high voltage direct current electric grid able to integrate new energy sources.
8. Live Modestly
No nation is beyond the reach of modern communications—and the potent forces of acquisitiveness the media promote. Most of increasing affluence is satisfied by the burning of fossil fuels to create energy. But spiritual and ethical teachers the world over have always taught that materialism cannot bring happiness. To experience love and beauty, physical health and peace of mind; to know the security and solidarity of family and community; to gain the respect that comes with productive work; to have the noble satisfaction of helping others and to find spiritual refreshment in firsthand contact with Nature, all far outweigh the illusory pride of wealth and possessions.
True, global warming cannot be solved by lifestyle changes. But to hold living simply in accord with Nature in contempt would be to abandon cultural traditions that have promoted human cooperation and local harmony with place for thousands of years. Therefore, we should oppose the heedless consumption of natural resources in a neverending competition for more things. Buddhist priest Shin Cho Kajita put it this way: “If you lowered the standard of living even just a little, you could still find joy in life. Everything is a moral choice between money and Nature. How to find the balance between these two elements—that is what human wisdom should now work out.”
9. Preserve and Replant Forests
The world's forests are a vast storehouse of carbon, containing between 400 and 500 billion tons, or roughly two thirds of the total carbon present in the biosphere. About two thirds of the carbon added to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels is removed by photosynthesis, going into either the oceans or fixed in forests. Yet the destruction of the world's forests continues wherever governments and market forces deny local communities the chance to control their own resources. Every year, the amount of carbon dioxide released through deforestation equals almost one third of total world carbon emissions. Deforestation through burning and land clearing, overgrazing and illegal logging are acute in tropical countries, where denuding forested lands is associated with soil erosion, human dislocation and poverty. The fate of the world's forests now hinges on the empowerment of local communities to resist environmental degradation, create equitable land tenure, and implement forest protection, restoration and sustainable uses. Globally, nations must be given economic incentives to preserve existing forests and replant deforested areas. The preservation of forests and wildlands is both a decisive act to control greenhouse gas emissions and a symbol of hope for creating a sustainable society for future generations.
10. We Need Political Action Now
When climate scientists first posed the idea that human activities were contributing to global warming, there was room for reasonable skepticism. Since then, however, study of the history of the earth's climate has proven the reality of climate change consistent with computerized simulation models. Measurements of a host of parameters have shown the adverse affects on severe weather events, rising sea levels, economic losses and human health. The 1980s and the 1990s were the warmest decades on record. The fact of global warming, coupled with the continuing rise in greenhouse emissions, particularly in the United States, China, India and Brazil, have changed the debate from the desirability of precautionary measures to prevent future catastrophe to the necessity for starting mitigation measures immediately. The devastation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina was a political wakeup call to the disasters that await us from storms and rising sea levels induced by climate change. The International Panel on Climate Change has warned that we cannot delay concerted action to curb carbon emissions even one generation. Punting the problem to our children is not an option. This is our crisis and we must start to act now to set a new course for our energy future.
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