Sustainable buildings

Thursday, December 13, 2007

It seems to me that the world still thinks that there is a never ending supply of black gold and that the only issue is how cheaply one can get it.

Please stop for a moment and consider that until around 1850 there was precious little consumption of coal or oil.

In the last 150 years the world has consumed a very high proportion of the fossil fuel laid down millions of years ago, There is no more being made or if there is- not in anything like the quantities the world demands daily.

All the efforts of the leading governments around the world to reduce Carbon emmissions is admirable but of course human beings are only HUMAN and thus are not prepared to change their ways until legislation,or short supply force them.

I travel fairly extensively and when I visit Beijing and Shanghai I wonder where all the Bicycles have gone since 1993

Of course there are still many but the motor car is now in the ascendent. The population of China with its 1 child policy sits at around 1300 000 000 people. equivalent to around 22600 Parc de Princes.Fingers crossed for England but they will need a hell of a lot of energy to beat South Africa and South Africa thinks it has all the energy in the world because they have Pioneered SASOL transferring coal to petrol.

The issue is not how to get cheaper oil or petrol. That is just short term and rather selfish in my view. Oil and gas provide so many materials including plastics and nitrates for fertiliser. If we burn them in cars and heating appliances at the rate we currently do and consider that the world population is increasing at the rate of 1 billion every 10 years there will be none left before we get to a ripe old age when we will need warmth, insulation, food and health care. Just think how many plastic items you use in a day. What alternative will there be when plastic is no more.

The population of the world will keep increasing as long as there is lead in the pencil. India will exceed China within 30 years with a population expected to reach 1600 000 000. None of them will think it fair that they cant drive a Ferrari any more than we do. What must change is the energy source.

Hence my Blog "www.Itstimeweallstartedtocare.blogspot.com"

Please consider that within our lifetime its possible with current thinking that all fuel oil will be consumed, please consider the enormous consumption of Gas from Russia will run out 10 years later. Then what? Intensified farming will have no fertilisers to grow the food that the increased population will require because us clever ones in 2007 used it all in the wrong way.Fewer chemicals will be available but we will still need air conditioning in Summer and heating in winter.So do we burn all remaining forests creating smog and associated problems and thereby breaking the oxygen/CO2 balance. Its serious. It simply cannot continue if we are serious

Thats why I say Nuclear Power is inevitable. I am buying shares in EDF. roll on the all electric age.So why are we still designing electricity out of modern construction to comply with latest building codes. Big question

When people say we must save the planet I respond by saying the Planet has been here for a very long time indeed before ever the Human species developed and it will be here for a hell of a long time after the Human species has departed. What we are talking about is saving the HUMAN RACE not saving the planet.

Thats it.

Does any one have an alternative view for the future, The world demands more energy than we know how to create and that demand is increasing. We are using the fossil fuel in an entirely irresponsible way.

3 Comments:

  • Dear Thomas,
    If you haven't already done so, you should read through Ivan Illich's article titled 'Energy and Equity'. It is a valuable insight into where the world is headed. Even though the guy wrote it in the 70s.

    By Blogger GauravShorey, at 9:29 am  

  • Dear Shorey

    Thanks for that. I went on the web and found the article.

    Interesting. Eventually we will all revert to walking I guess but transport is not the only energy demand. Lighting, ventilation and cooling and heating and cooking will also need to be re thought. Increasing populations demand increased density of habitation and eventually the human race will level out say 12 billion. What sort of a world will that be I wonder.

    By Blogger AET Flexible Space, at 6:33 pm  

  • 12 billion. Looks like 1 out of 12 billion is pretty insignificant. I think human diginity would be better served by a figure of 50 million. That's just twice, worldwide, than the number left homeless or otherwise devasted by the August 2010 flood in Pakistan.

    Get down to that 50 million figure by the relational observance of 99.99% contraception and abstinence.

    I went on a .8 mile walk yesterday, ick. Bicycling forever.

    I'm contemplating an idea involving pumping heat from the outside air that hopefully works better than the weak air-source heat pump systems presently available, but not as good as the costly geothermal systems out there now, though.

    By Blogger Joe, at 11:53 pm  

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