Supposedly, we use oil as a fuel because it is cheaper and easier to use -- and more profitable -- than alternatives such as wind, solar or conservation. But that assumption changes when drilling for deep-water oil goes awry and it costs the oil producer billions to deal with the mess.
Switching to alternative energy may not be a choice but a necessity.
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This may feel like a basic article to those who are steeped in these issues, but for a casual StarPhoenix reader, this is a great column. Hanley points out the catch-22 of the need to expand oil production but the imperative to do so without taking risks. Switching to renewable fuels is the only way out of that bind. He briefly covers the implications of these much-needed changes for a range of infrastructures and industries. The article cites an interesting video, which you can also rate on NewsTrust (see links).
Interesting opinion piece about the need for a new energy strategy that reduces dependence on fossil fuels. This short articles cites a proposal by energy expert Amory Lovins to "reinvent fire" (see link), through innovations in transportation, buildings, industry and electricity.
Hanley reviews energy problems in the light of the innovative ideas from the Rocky Mountain Institute, especially after the visible lesson of the hidden socialized costs of the BP negligence in the gulf.
This offers good insight, although short on depth as opinion articles usually are. It's almost an RMI press release with one supporting viewpoint.
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