Anthony Perl, SFU professor and co-author of “Transport Revolutions” with Richard Gilbert, maintains that electrification of streets and highways is the quickest and cheapest way for us to put the mass transit we need in place. This means that the Lower Mainland needs to move quickly to buy electric buses, which will soon be in demand by cities all over the world as gas prices rise, otherwise the price of the buses will go up, as will delays in getting them.
But there is no magic bullet that will maintain the “status quo”, and in fact VPO believes that trying to maintain the current wasteful, destructive status quo is a big part of our (and the Earth’s) problem. Climatologists warn us that the Earth’s climate does not shift incrementally - pressure builds, and then the climate rapidly flips to a new equilibrium state. We believe the same will be true of human civilization: we’re on the verge of flipping to a new low-fossil-fuel equilibrium, whether we like it or not.
This “New Normal” may be a chaotic, catastrophic scenario of warming climate, economic collapse and social upheaval, if we don’t make a conscious choice to prepare for what’s coming. But if we DO prepare, those of us lucky enough to live in British Columbia are well situated to enter a remarkable new world of fresh food, meaningful work, revived communities, and happier healthy children. The time to make that choice is right now, and the person who will make the difference is YOU. Visit our TAKE ACTION page to find out how.
Jerry
June 27, 2008 | 1:48 pm1
There are many sides to anything.
One is the source of the energy, and the other is how it is used.
“Electrification of transportation” will ….. help, though you still have to power that. As I wrote is the Hydrogen FAQ, there is only one real way of doing that long term, other wise you’re just burning carbon fuel some where else in the cycle (to produce the electricity).
Though yes, electrification is needed on a very large scale to maintain current human social movement patterns in the absence of sufficient public transport.
As with energy used for heating, if the buildings were better insulated in the first place they wouldn’t need so much, typical agriculture is very wastefull due to modern farming techniques etc.
Things HAVE to change, though seeing as it’s a social movement that has to occur I don’t think it will start until things get painful and people have to, or are forced too.
The main thing now is planing and doing what can be done, and damage limitation.