Going Alternative Djelujmo alternativno

Ekološka upozorenja postala su kao buka tramvaja: neugodna, ali naviknuli smo se ignorirati ih. Danas se, kad energenti dramatično poskupljuju, možda i nađe vremena za razmišljanje o alternativnim izvorima energije.

It is not so much that fossil fuels and other non-renewable energy sources are causing great concern because they will not be around for much longer and have been identified as chief polluters. It is rather the soaring price of crude oil and the effects it has on our budgets that explain it better. This proves that money is the best trigger of change; the rise in oil prices has impact on airline and transportation companies in general as well as shipping companies. This is in turn raising prices of all consumer goods and not only utility bills. And this has a direct impact on our lives now.

For some time biomass was seen as a sort of panacea for the energy problem. The energy generated in that way does not cause pollution and is obtained from otherwise useless waste and specially grown non-food crops. Unfortunately, it turned out there is not enough waste so farmers, who did not want to miss the lucrative opportunity, started growing corn and sugar beet at the expense of food crops. This is nowadays blamed for the increase in food prices and various officials who see the bigger picture are now urging governments to stop promoting this practice. Even once-maligned nuclear energy is making a come-back because it does not pollute, immediately. A lot of money has gone into researching hydrogen as a substitute for petrol. However, hydrogen is presently most economically produced using fossil fuels. Together with technological challenges involved in its storing, hydrogen economy still has a long way to go.

Some countries are, however, making the shift. Renewable energy in Iceland supplies over 70% of its energy needs. Britain could make use of wind power, Norway hydro and central Europe biomass and geo-thermal. There is also tidal and wave power which is already widely used in Scotland. Solar power shows great promise as well. Covering just 0.5% of the world’s hot deserts with a technology called concentrated solar power (CSP) would, according to some scientists, provide the world’s entire electricity needs, with desalinated water as a valuable by-product. The governments in developed western countries have drawn up detailed plans on how to gradually reduce carbon emissions and source greater percentages of their energy from these renewable sources. Undeveloped countries contribute much less to pollution due to their low standard of living. However, their legitimate rise out of poverty might spell some bad news for the environment.

The best alternative is conservation. Not because of the government’s incentives or restrictions; not even for the sake of future generations but because of ourselves here and now. And if the only language that pierces the noise of everyday rush for money is money itself, let it talk.