Our Renewable Future
"There is probably no credible future scenario in which humanity will maintain current levels of energy use."
Transition to 100% renewable energy? Sure.
Maintain current levels of growth and consumption? Not gonna happen.
Note the current percentage renewables contribute to total global energy...
Note this doesn't mean that we shouldn't roll out as much renewable energy generation as we can... It's just that the lower 'energy profit' from creating renewable energy machines and processes, relative to fossil fueled ones, means that the 'net energy' left after gathering the energy resource is so low that it won't allow us to continue the rate of material throughput our industrial civilisation requires to function in its present form. There's also the issue of non-substitutable uses of liquid fuels for heavy transport vehicles, and many other considerations.
To learn more, this highly readable book, 'Our Energy Future' from the Post Carbon Institute comes highly recommended! The book is freely available online here: www.ourrenewablefuture.org
View the book's authors presenting on the report, go to this link. NZ refrigerated food exports get a mention in the discussion of decarbonising the food supply chain in this segment of the presentation.
For a very encouraging, up to date as at June 2016 presentation about 'The Winning of The Carbon War' by Jeremy Leggett, click here. The playing field is shifting fast!
I've been actively writing and engaging with local and national government on this issue for several years now, and have created quite a few resources of my own, as submissions to various consultation processes. I focus on the "3 E's" - Economics, Energy and Ecosystems, and the fundamental limits these place on the solution spaces available to us going forwards. Here's a selected bibliography to date:
As an individual citizen:
Long Term Plans 2018:
Environment Southland: http://bit.ly/2jSHXfw
Invercargill City Council: http://bit.ly/2raEPzC and spoken presentation: http://bit.ly/2HCOjOl
Southland District Council: http://bit.ly/2H4oFlp and spoken presentation: http://bit.ly/2qKHG2f
Otago Regional Council: http://bit.ly/2KnQAds
Venture Southland's annual business plan consultations:
The 2014 version of the plan: http://bit.ly/2613cjj and spoken presentation http://bit.ly/1Xspcyk
The 2015 version of the plan: http://bit.ly/1Q9rOiK http://bit.ly/1FVidRK and spoken presentation http://bit.ly/1FFZSbi
The 2016 version of the plan: http://bit.ly/1s4HpoQ and my spoken presentation http://bit.ly/1TQqgID
Submissions to the Otago / Southland regional 'Land Transport' plan consultation: written submission http://bit.ly/1YvyB7z and spoken presentation http://bit.ly/1N9BTUB
Submission to the the Environment Southland - Air Plan consultation: http://bit.ly/1WPnozn
Submission to the Environment Southland - Land and Water Plan consultation: http://bit.ly/2aIGtmF
Long Term Planning Processes:
Regional - submission to the Environment Southland consultation: http://bit.ly/1Pwxl1U and spoken presentation: http://bit.ly/1ZZ7XV5
City - submission to the Invercargill City Council consultation: http://bit.ly/1BJBHqL
Submission to the Invercargill City Council 'Code of Practice' consultation: http://bit.ly/1Y2FxXG
My recent Innov8 Invercargill talk was on the subject of the story we tell ourselves to achieve resilient, able to be sustained outcomes for our community, region, country and species. Here's my talk prezi: http://bit.ly/1pWlsXS and a voice recording: http://bit.ly/1MiV70h: We really need to replace our neo-liberal 'Sacred Money and Markets' story with something closer to a 'Sacred Life and Living Earth' story...
As part of Wise Response, a group of concerned citizens, I've collaborated in the research, production and delivery of a variety of content to inform government about the issues we face:
Productivity Commission inquiry into the Transition to a Low Emissions Economy 2017/18 submissions: http://bit.ly/2zmQmBv and http://bit.ly/2l9s318
ETS consultation: http://bit.ly/2Iz1htC
My critique of the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee's official response to the Wise Response appeal: http://bit.ly/1YAmvtG
A submission to the NZ government's consultation on changes to the resource management legislation: http://bit.ly/1NOSZHy
The Otago Regional Council's 'Regional Policy Statement': http://bit.ly/1UbQ2oT, my expert evidence: http://bit.ly/1jl7KtV and spoken presentation: http://bit.ly/1XYGlAN
A submission to the NZ government's consultation on our offer to the INDC's at COP21: http://bit.ly/1K8neeU
Other Wise Response work can be viewed here
As co-founder of the Love Local Charitable Trust:
For the Sustainable Southland blog: Love Local. Why, How and What: http://bit.ly/1TaCJnv
For the Sustainable Southland blog: How sustainable are we, really? http://bit.ly/14oMDiO
Presentation to the Innov8 evenings regarding Love Local's place in the big picture of resilient local food systems for Southland: http://bit.ly/ll_pk_innov8