I was having drinks with friends last week and the topic of 'green energy' came up in conversation. A couple of us in the group were now signed up to the 100% renewable energy plans which are readily available through many of the major energy suppliers but I was surprised at the scepticism amongst the many in the group.
"Why would you pay a power company more than double the price of coal fired power when you really don't know if they’re making good on their promise anyway?" Fair question - but it's also a disappointing position for someone to take as it absolves them of any responsibility to act differently - you can just do what you’ve always done.
The reality is that this we have an incredible opportunity to fix this problem - one that no other generation in the history of everything will ever get again. Tim Flannery put it best in his quarterly essay 'Now or never - a sustainable future for Australia' - "this generation - those of us living at the dawn of the 21st century - is destined to achieve an extraordinary transformation, one unique in the 4 billion year history of earth and one which will influence the fate of life from now on."
The only problem with this statement is the use of the word ‘destiny’ which by definition suggests it is inevitable that we will beat climate change… but it won’t just ‘happen’. It will be the combination of intelligent industry vehicles such as emission trading schemes, science, technology, innovation, and most of all responsible action from all individuals.
Inaction due to scepticism is not a get out of jail free card– it’s a conscious decision to keep doing what we’ve always done which is getting us nowhere… fast…
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