December 22, 2019
Carbon lock-in: technological, economic, political and social forces that make use of fossil energy [seem] natural and taken for granted by households, cities, provinces and countries. The word "forces" might be replaced with the word "habits." Habits like driving half a mile to pick up a gallon of milk. Habits like setting the thermostat at 70 degrees, winter, summer, night and day. Habits like accepting the cost of gassing up your non-hybrid vehicle without a second thought. Habits like re-electing incumbent government officials who vote against environmentally beneficial legislation. Habits like forgetting to recycle your clothes, furniture, books and kitchen utensils.
These habits eliminate the possibility of one day living decarbonized lives, i.e., lives that are not dependent upon fossil fuels. According to two University of Toronto researchers, seeking merely to reduce our carbon footprints will never get us a climate-change-free world. Fossil fuel energy must be eliminated. Matthew Hoffman, professor of political science at University of Toronto, Scarborough, says we kid ourselves by believing that simply reducing emissions will have the desired effect in stopping climate change. While greenhouse gas reductions are an effective transitional step in the direction of eventual elimination of fossil fuels, reduction cannot be looked upon as an end in itself.
Hoffman, who co-authored a study of the subject with Steven Bernstein, a professor of political science at University of Toronto, Mississauga, posits that multilateral treaties signed by governments are not equal to the task of dealing with the multi-level challenge of decarbonization. Nonetheless, some governments have, in fact, taken effective steps toward disrupting carbon lock-in, among them Germany's policy to incentivize renewable energy, and Norway's policy of incentivizing electric vehicles. Other innovations include renewable energy policies, improved city planning, and carbon pricing.
Hoffman maintains that, since the current energy system is so interdependent, disrupting carbon lock-in through policy initiatives could well become a more commonly used method. "Political action will need to be experimental, multi-level and multi-scale to overcome the carbon trap we're in, but at the same time, there are many opportunities," he says. Hoffman further maintains that building political and economic coalitions will lead to the push for broad, sustained change. And remember, not all of these policies need to mandate colossally expensive solutions eliminating greenhouse gases. A policy of planting trees would be a terrific way to get decarbonization underway.
With thanks to Phys.org and Nature Climate Change.
Carbon lock-in: technological, economic, political and social forces that make use of fossil energy [seem] natural and taken for granted by households, cities, provinces and countries. The word "forces" might be replaced with the word "habits." Habits like driving half a mile to pick up a gallon of milk. Habits like setting the thermostat at 70 degrees, winter, summer, night and day. Habits like accepting the cost of gassing up your non-hybrid vehicle without a second thought. Habits like re-electing incumbent government officials who vote against environmentally beneficial legislation. Habits like forgetting to recycle your clothes, furniture, books and kitchen utensils.
These habits eliminate the possibility of one day living decarbonized lives, i.e., lives that are not dependent upon fossil fuels. According to two University of Toronto researchers, seeking merely to reduce our carbon footprints will never get us a climate-change-free world. Fossil fuel energy must be eliminated. Matthew Hoffman, professor of political science at University of Toronto, Scarborough, says we kid ourselves by believing that simply reducing emissions will have the desired effect in stopping climate change. While greenhouse gas reductions are an effective transitional step in the direction of eventual elimination of fossil fuels, reduction cannot be looked upon as an end in itself.
Hoffman, who co-authored a study of the subject with Steven Bernstein, a professor of political science at University of Toronto, Mississauga, posits that multilateral treaties signed by governments are not equal to the task of dealing with the multi-level challenge of decarbonization. Nonetheless, some governments have, in fact, taken effective steps toward disrupting carbon lock-in, among them Germany's policy to incentivize renewable energy, and Norway's policy of incentivizing electric vehicles. Other innovations include renewable energy policies, improved city planning, and carbon pricing.
Hoffman maintains that, since the current energy system is so interdependent, disrupting carbon lock-in through policy initiatives could well become a more commonly used method. "Political action will need to be experimental, multi-level and multi-scale to overcome the carbon trap we're in, but at the same time, there are many opportunities," he says. Hoffman further maintains that building political and economic coalitions will lead to the push for broad, sustained change. And remember, not all of these policies need to mandate colossally expensive solutions eliminating greenhouse gases. A policy of planting trees would be a terrific way to get decarbonization underway.
With thanks to Phys.org and Nature Climate Change.
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