Perhaps one day historians will decide that Sept. 21, 2014, was the day that marked the beginning of the end of the fossil fuel era. The question is how fast that end will come, and in the answer probably rests the fate of humanity. Theoretically, the end could come fast enough to matter. In another 2014 record, there were days this summer when Germany generated three-quarters of its power from the wind and sun, demonstrating that what the world lacks in addressing climate change is less technical prowess than political will. If that political will were mustered, change could spread rapidly. On the other hand, the transition to a world without fossil fuels could drag on too long, to the point where carbon dioxide overwhelms the planet’s climatic system. In October, Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, pointed out that if catastrophic climate change is to be avoided, the “vast majority” of the planet’s fossil fuel reserves must be considered “unburnable” starting now. That would conflict, however, with the business plans of major players in the world’s richest industry, from Gazprom to Exxon Mobil to Shell to Coal India to Shanxi Coking. In other words, shutting off the tap cold turkey is not going to happen.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 23:55:56 +0000
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